NEW DELHI, 19 December 2004 — Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is unhappy with the timing of assembly elections in Bihar. With the elections scheduled for February, the time when he has to pay attention to the railway budget, Lalu Prasad is worried about him having to cut down on his campaigning in Bihar. Besides, the RJD chief is also disturbed about the Election Commission’s decision to hold “phased polling” in Bihar.
The assembly elections in Bihar will be in three phases on Feb. 3, 15 and 23.
“We have decided to approach the Election Commission requesting it to revise the poll schedule for Bihar, keeping in mind the budget session of Parliament,” Lalu Prasad said.
Regarding the phased polling, he said: “It is best if the elections are held in one day. They should ask for extra-security forces from other states. Only three states are going to the polls.”
While Haryana votes on Feb. 3, polls in Jharkhand will be on Feb. 3, 15 and 23. The results will be out on Feb. 27.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also not pleased about phased polling in Bihar though for different reasons. BJP is apprehensive that phased polling will enable the RJD to “capture booths and rig the elections.”
A BJP delegation led by party national vice-president and its election campaign committee chief, Sushil Kumar Modi, met Chief Electoral Officer K.C. Saha yesterday in Patna and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy.
“Conducting a fair and peaceful poll is both a responsibility and a challenge for the commission. We, therefore, request you to seriously reconsider the order for a three-phase poll and ensure strict implementation of the model code of conduct,” the memorandum said.
RJD’s opponent Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan is, however, unruffled by the poll timings. He said: “My party has been preparing for elections for the past four months. We do not care when they are held.”
The terms of 243-member Bihar and 81-member Jharkhand assemblies expire on March 6, while that of 90-member Haryana ends on March 8. Jharkhand faces the first assembly elections after becoming a state in 2000.
Yetserday, the CPI-M indicated that it will join hands with Bihar’s ruling RJD party to fight the assembly polls.
The CPI-M politburo, which met here on Friday and yesterday, also expressed its “unhappiness” over the functioning of the central government, especially the implementation of the common minimum program (CMP), the agenda of governance for the UPA government.
The CPI-M is the leading party of the Left front that props the Congress-led UPA government from outside.
On the Bihar elections, the politburo decided that “the party will have talks with other Left and secular parties to arrive at an electoral understanding to fight the elections.”
However, sources said the CPI-M would continue its alliance with the RJD in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, at the national level, CPI-M has dismissed the probability of changing its political track to form a third front. Senior party leader Jyoti Basu met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi yesterday and discussed issues to be implemented on a priority basis.
During the 30-minute meeting, Basu said that the UPA government must last its full term. To ensure this, the party should be attended to on a priority basis. Basu projected this as essential in view of the forthcoming assembly elections.
Addressing a public meeting in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said that it was high time a third front came into being. “But without the support of the left parties, formation of a third power is not possible,” he added.
