New Delhi, February 27
Mr Ram Bilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today emerged the kingmaker in Bihar after a heavily fractured verdict as the Congress stormed back to power with a landslide victory in Haryana and the BJP-JD (U) combine came within striking distance of power in a hung verdict in Jharkhand.After 15 years in power,
Laloo Prasad’s RJD was in danger of losing it after having being reduced to nearly 75 seats in a House of 243 in which the BJP-JD (U) combine was close to 100 seats, still short of the magic halfway mark by more than 20.
Top leaders of the BJP-JD (U) combine met in Delhi to take stock of the situation with some senior BJP leaders not ruling out supporting Mr Paswan for the new government. Congress President Sonia Gandhi met top party leaders on working out a way to forming secular governments in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Wooed by both sides, Mr Paswan kept up his stance of not giving or taking support from the RJD or the BJP that may end in a deadlocked Assembly.
Given the arithmetic, the only way a government could be put together is if arch rivals RJD and LJP come together with the Congress and the left parties or Mr Paswan shakes hands with the BJP-JD (U) combine.
But given the public stand of Mr Paswan, a spell of President’s rule cannot be ruled out which could also give Congress some leeway to persuade the RJD and the LJP to combine to provide a government.
Jharkhand’s first Assembly elections produced a fractured mandate, but the ruling BJP-led NDA fought off anti-incumbency factor to emerge as the biggest pre-poll group within sniffing distance of power ahead of the Congress-JMM combine. The RJD had a haul of seven seats.
— PTI
