Bihar: CPI's Rally on November 2, A Show of Unity of Opposition Alliance INDIA

Patna: On November 2, top leaders of the ruling Mahagathbandhan, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, and left party leaders, will address a public meeting organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Patna. This event marks the first public gathering in Bihar hosted by an ally of the Mahagathbandhan, which is a part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

The CPI's "BJP Hatao Desh Bachao" rally is set to be a demonstration of strength ahead of a major BJP event featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah on November 5 in Muzaffarpur district.

The CPI has extended invitations to Kumar, Lalu, Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Singh, and leaders of other left parties - Communist Part of India (Marxist) (CPI(M) and Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML) - to attend its rally. The objective is to convey a robust political message of unity within the Mahagathbandhan. Kumar, Lalu, and his younger son, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, are expected to address the CPI rally to present a united front for the opposition alliance INDIA.

"We have invited all Mahagathbandhan allies, including JD-U led by Kumar, RJD under Lalu, Congress, and CPI(M) and CPI(ML), to our rally. Kumar has accepted our invitation, and we are optimistic that Lalu and Tejashwi will also participate," stated CPI state secretary Ramnaresh Pandey in a conversation with NewsClick. 

Pandey, the CPI leader, noted that hundreds of party leaders, workers, and cadres have been diligently preparing for the rally and mobilising people, particularly from rural areas and small towns across the state.

Following Kumar's departure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in August 2022 and his alignment with the Mahagathbandhan, the November 2, 2023, rally holds immense significance. It will be the first political display of the opposition alliance INDIA within the state, where the initial meeting of the opposition alliance took place in June. After their meeting in Patna, the opposition alliance INDIA took tangible form. It accelerated its efforts to challenge and counter the BJP led by Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

On the other hand, Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Bihar on November 5 to address a public gathering in Muzaffarpur. Shah will also hold an interaction session with 16 BJP district presidents from North Bihar on the same day to provide them with insights for the upcoming year's elections.

This marks Shah's second visit to Bihar within three months, following his address at a public gathering in Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district in September 2023. Shah has visited Bihar six times since Kumar's departure from the BJP last year.

BJP leaders in the state acknowledge that the Mahagathbandhan is a significant political force in Bihar, and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections pose a challenge for the party. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA secured 39 out of 40 parliamentary seats, with the Congress winning only one seat and the RJD failing to secure any seats, marking a significant setback for the party.

This time, the political future of Mahagathbandhan hinges on its ability to prevent the BJP from replicating its 2019 success.

Key figures within the BJP, including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, have reportedly expressed concerns about the forthcoming elections in Bihar. Until two months ago, the BJP had only one ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by Union Minister Pasupati Kumar Paras, which had no MLAs in the Assembly and was considered a weak political force.

In recent months, the BJP has made efforts to forge alliances with four or five smaller parties, including Chirag Paswan's LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), Upendra Kushwaha's RLJP (Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party), Mukesh Sahni's VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party), and Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha).

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, JD-U and BJP contested an equal number of parliamentary seats, with each of them contesting 17 seats. The LJP, led by then Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan, had contested six seats and won five. JD-U won 16 of the 17 seats it contested as an ally of the BJP, unlike in 2014 when it had won only two of the 30 seats it contested in Bihar on its own.

On the other hand, the Congress, a constituent ally of the then Mahagathbandan, won only one seat, while the other ally, RJD, failed to secure any seats.