Sunday, October 07, 2012

A Roadmap For Nitish

Nitish Kumar, Broadband And Clean Energy
Nitish Kumar's JD(U) Has National Appeal

When I started working on this blog post weeks ago I spent some energy to the song and dance required to get Nitish to contest all 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar. I think he could win 35 of them easy.

But no song and dance is now necessary. The BJP itself has said it will contest all 40 seats. That does give an opening to Laloo. But Nitish is the obvious beneficiary.

35 MPs will give him major clout at the center.

It is perhaps time to revive the old Janata Dal. Janata Dal was a national party with major presence in many states.

UP is but a natural home to the Janata Dal. The formula that Nitish has applied to Bihar can easily be reapplied to UP. Mulayam might be a master politician, but he can not deliver on development, he could not give India double digit growth rates.

India remains a country of small farmers. The Nitish formula speaks to 70% of the country. And Nitish is no slouch on urban affairs. The guy is an engineer by training, after all.

Keep performing well. Plan to contest all 40 seats in Bihar. Seek unification with the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa and other Janata Dals if possible. Seek to contest at least 100 seats nationwide.

Build a non BJP, non Congress alliance early. And get yourself projected as the prime ministerial candidate. I think it's possible.

Janata Dal
Janata Dal (United)
Biju Janata Dal
Rashtriya Janata Dal

Laloo might not come around, but what are his options? What about a Nitish, Laloo, Paswan alliance? 30 seats to Nitish, 7 to Laloo, and 3 to Paswan? Better still, merge the three parties.

Could the Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal become one again? They used to be one party. Orissa and Karnataka are fair game.

Nitish's number one strength is his amazing performance as Chief Minister of Bihar. His number one weakness is not having articulated as to how he has managed to (1) perform so well electorally and (2) how he has been able to give Bihar the growth rate he has. If he were to do a good job of articulating that he could come up with an ideology that would help him cross state boundaries.

Development is his mantra. Development can be India's mantra. Nitish has the option to start a grassroots movement across India and produce a new crop of leaders.

Fernandes to head Janata Dal (United)

Imran Khan praises Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar wants to become PM: Lalu Prasad


Written weeks ago:

Stick to your condition that Narendra Modi can not be the NDA candidate for PM, and the PM candidate has to be announced before the election.

The BJP projects Modi as its candidate. You break away from the NDA and have JD (U) contest for all parliamentary seats in Bihar. You end up with 35 MPs.



Nitish wants the next PM to be a BJP person. And Modi is the most eligible BJP person for his economic record in Gujarat. Either he accepts Modi, or he does not accept BJP. In my book that makes room for a third front.



Narendra Modi continues attack on Sonia Gandhi, says Congress defaming Gujarat
Preparing to contest all 40 seats in Bihar: BJP
Nitish nursing prime ministerial ambition, Lalu says
Days of NDA government in Bihar numbered: Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu's dig at Nitish: I too want to be PM
Nitish Kumar goes hammer and tongs against rivals
Nitish Kumar goes hammer and tongs against rivals
BJP MP slams Nitish government
BJP snubs Nitish Kumar in Bihar; Narendra Modi effect?
Nitish Kumar losing ground: JD(U)-BJP alliance headed for break up?
Anti-Bihari remarks: Sediton case lodged against Thackerays
Anti-Bihari remark: Following court order, Delhi Police books Raj Thackeray
Bihar: BJP to hold Hunkaar rally against JD(U) in April 2013
On Nitish tour, protests from crowds and criticism from ally
NDA won't bring no-confidence motion: Sharad Yadav
Nitish Kumar addresses public meeting under tight security
Suspended for graft, Bihar SP had busted 150 mining rackets
UPA and NDA Will Be Defeated in 2014: CPI


Vadra storm exposes double standards in Cong leadership
DLF defends itself and Vadra
DLF clarifications 'half truths and lies': Kejriwal
Cong defends Vadra, dismisses demand for probe
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