Bihar Assembly

Patna, Nov 30: The winter session of the state legislature commencing from December 2 is likely to witness the Nitish Kumar government being tested both on the floor as well as at the popular levels.

While the Lokayukata and land survey bills will engage the government on the floor, the Laukaha Assembly bypoll results will come out on December 4 amidst the bicameral House in session.

The ruling dispensation appears strong on both the counts as of now. While it enjoys unprecedented majority that should allow it to sail through the impending legislations on the floor against an all-time weak opposition, it should win the race in Laukaha too, given its track record of winning the 2010 Assembly elections and successive by-elections handsomely.

However, it is not that the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government with 206 MLAs in its kitty is free from the hindrances. While the Lokayukta bill — a money bill — will have to undergo the scrutiny of the governor, Devanand Konwar, JD(U) nominee Satish Kumar, is pitted against RJD’s Mukhtar Ahmad — believed to be a candidate “smartly selected” by Lalu Prasad.

Lalu has pitted Mukhtar— a Muslim in the north Bihar constituency that has Yadavs as the “numerically preponderant” caste — still, by and large, loyal the Yadav chieftain that the RJD boss is. The RJD mandarins calculate that if the Yadav and Muslims combine voting for Mukhtar lock stock and barrel, their nominee might create a tough situation for the JD(U) nominee.

But then the BJP-backed JD(U) nominee has been banking on the EBCs (a conglomerate of numerous castes) besides the Mahadalits and the upper castes opposed to Lalu through his rise to power and fall. Besides the caste equation, the JD(U) nominee’s claim to the seat is also topped up with the development work carried out by the Nitish government and sympathy factor that might be in the play in the wake of his father, Hariprasad Sahu’s death which has necessitated the by-poll.

Almost all the parties, except the CPM without any MLA, have opposed the chief minister’s idea of Lokayukta. RJD, Congress, LJP and CPI have objected to certain clauses of the Lokayukta bill and have suggested the Nitish Kumar government to defer it till the Centre formulates its Lokpal bill or at least till the budget session.

Needless to say that despite their thin number in the House, the opposition members might try to engage the treasury benches in vitriolic debate on the issue. And the weak opposition becomes a source of trouble to the government, at times, with the latter staying conscious to the fact that it should not look like “gagging” the voice of opponents on the power of brute majority.

In fact, Nitish has, time and again, stated that he would respect the Opposition’s voice in whatever condition it is and honour its suggestions.

None of the Opposition parties has, so far, taken a stand against the land survey bill. But it is unlikely that the Opposition will stay a mute spectator allowing the ruling establishment table and pass it smoothly, given the sensitive nature the issue of land involved. The Opposition might be calibrating the ideas to question the land survey bill, the sources said.