The Grand Alliance got more support from SCs than the NDA, even though Paswan and Manjhi were always seen by PM Modi’s side during his rallies
Patna : Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, two prominent Dalit leaders on whom the BJP was banking to bring for NDA nearly 16 per cent votes of schedule castes, failed to deliver in the Bihar elections, as reflected in the results.
The Grand Alliance of the RJD, JD(U) and Congress got more support from the electorate of scheduled caste communities than the NDA, notwithstanding Paswan and Manjhi always being seen by the side of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 26 election rallies in the state.
An analysis of results shows that, in fact, nine Paswans won from the JD(U)-RJD-Congress camp in comparison to two from the NDA. Even these two in the NDA were won one each by the BJP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), while Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP failed to bag any seat.
Similarly, among mahadalits, for which the BJP relied on Jitan Ram Manjhi, the Grand Alliance has 15 winners while Manjhi, who is the head of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), is the sole winner from his party. The BJP has three winners from the mahadalit community.
Out of 10 mahadalits fielded by the RJD, nine triumphed. The JD(U) had given tickets to six mahadalits and five of them came out victorious, and in the Congress, out of three nominees, one won.
In the NDA camp, from the BJP, which had fielded 11 mahadalit candidates, three won. HAM had a sole elected member in Jitan Ram Manjhi out of four, while LJP and RLSP, which had given tickets to three and one mahadalits respectively, drew a naught.
Out of a total of 243 seats in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, 38 are earmarked for SCs and two for STs. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s party has two winners out of 41 and both hail from Extremely Backward Castes. In RLSP of Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, there is a winner from his own Kushwaha caste and another a Paswan.
When asked about this, Jitan Ram Manjhi told PTI today that his Manjhi castemen voted aggressively for the NDA.
