Archis Mohan & Satyavrat Mishra take a look at the silent strategists in the two rival alliances
After Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's conviction in the Rs 950-crore fodder scam case, his cricketer-turned politician son Tejaswi Yadav suddenly finds himself in the limelight. Tejaswi spoke to Business Standard's Satyavrat Mishra about his party's strategy for the 2014 general elections, his father's conviction, the relationship with his siblings and cricket.
Lalu Prasad has inducted his sons into the party. Tej Pratap and Tejaswi may hold aloft the lantern, but will they be able to light the path for RJD, asks Satyavrat Mishra
The state government has introduced a new, more stringent law by which offenders could be jailed for up to seven years and make them poorer by Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Lalu Prasad and his Muslim-Yadav line has completely gone off track.
'Our approach is forward-looking. The central leadership wants young leaders to lead the charge now. This will also send a clear signal that lapses will not be tolerated. We are targeting beyond 2025.' Satyavrat Mishra reports.
Prasad can still influence the power play in Patna if not change it, reports Satyavrat Mishra.
Dalits constitute nearly 16 per cent of the vote and 38 seats are reserved for them in the assembly, reports Satyavrat Mishra
As the ruling alliance starts feeling the tremors, discussions on new equations have also started, reports Satyavrat Mishra.
The crisis will strengthen Nitish Kumar's position as Lalu's troubles erodes his bargaining power within the ruling coalition in Bihar.
The now active member of the Janata Dal-United has been approached by Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Janata Dal-Secular in Karnataka to help them in the upcoming elections, reports Satyavrat Mishra.
'Manjhi will be Kumar's biggest competitor inthe days to come'
'Tej Pratap doesn't have votes on his own. But should he want, he can always rock the RJD's boat because of his antics.'
The young RJD leader is yet to earn the trust of the crowd and many senior party members believe he is no patch on his father.
The feud in the family -- brother versus brother, sister versus brother, and daughter versus mother -- is an open secret. In the absence of the patriarch, there is no one to compose their differences, reports Satyavrat Mishra.
From devising a seat-sharing formula for the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to wooing young voters, the former poll strategist has ensured his position as number 2 within the party.
But he doesn't want to shut the door completely on the Yadav family as that could create problems for him in 2019.
JD-U leaders believe Prashant Kishor's entry would benefit its case for contesting a larger number of seats in Bihar in next year's general election.
'Nitish Kumar thinks the matter will keep Lalu in check and that he will remain in power without any challenge from the RJD.'
Year after year, floods cause mayhem in Bihar but the government is not paying adequate attention to water management.
Prohibition is resulting in prisons getting overcrowded.
The political turmoil in Bihar has pushed the law and order to the back burner.
Rampant crime challenges the chief minister's promise to maintain law and order. But some say there are other forces at play.
'Our priority will be to settle land disputes in Bihar, which I believe is the root cause of almost all crime in the state.'
'This is the first time since Independence that we are facing such a despairing situation.'
While the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal-United are busy fighting each other, the BJP is trying not to repeat the mistakes it made the last time out, says Satyavrat Mishra
For the moment, Siwan is once again Shahabuddin's home.
'The government failed. The officials chose not to hear the pleas of these helpless children.' 'Nothing can make things right for those girls now.'
Under siege, Nitish plans to tweak Bihar's anti-booze law
Nitish Kumar and his officials maintain that Bihar has one of the lowest crime rates in India. Bihar police crime data indicates otherwise.
'These children are wards of the State. They were exploited because the state government and its officials didn't do their jobs.'
The reputation of Bihar's schools has taken a knock. Satyavrat Mishra explains how a student-teacher nexus has gamed the system to produce toppers by the dozen.
An entirely preventable disease claimed the life of 173 children -- thanks to state apathy.
In an unusual episode, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Deputy Chairman P J Kurien sparred in the Rajya Sabha over procedures, triggering commotion, which led to stalling of the House for nearly an hour.
The scam has offered Lalu Prasad an opportunity to point fingers at Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi.
On Monday, August 29, a court in Saran, Bihar, sentenced the headmistress of the school where 23 children died after eating a mid-day meal to 17 years in prison. Three years after that tragedy, discovers Satyavrat Mishra, the state government has failed to learn its lessons.
The so-called soil scam has left Lalu alone in the Mahagathbandhan.
There are no permanent friends or foes in politics. It's true that the RJD supported us on the trust vote, but it doesn't mean we needed them, says Bihar new chief minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi.
Why has Lalu Prasad picked his youngest child, Tejashwi Yadav, as his political heir.
The jailed Lalu Prasad may have put his wife, Rabri Devi, in charge of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, but there's a subtle jostling for ascendancy within the family, notes Satyavrat Mishra.
