Sir — The Janata parivar has been giving out a negative vibe to the people of Bihar because of the complicated relationship between alliance partners Nitish Kumar and lalu Prasad. Also, the people know that the objective of this alliance is not to do something good for Bihar but rather to stop the BJP from winning in the State. There is a feeling that the Janata parivar’s victory may come at the cost of a hung Assembly in Bihar.
Moreover, the alliance is yet to be accepted by the grassroots workforce of the member parties. The Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) have spent several years sparring. Just because their leaders have a newfound camaraderie between themselves, it does not mean that party workers on the ground feel the same way. At the other end, the BJP has struck a deal with former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. This will make the former stronger in areas where it traditionally does not have much support. The BJP has a faithful vote-bank in Bihar and stands to gain from this tie-up.