Mukesh Sahani Threatens To Quit RJD Alliance Over Seat Sharing — Why The Boatman Is Important
A former Bollywood set designer, Mukesh Sahani has a history of bargaining hard with political allies.
Mukesh Sahani, the chief of the Vikassheel Insaan Party, has reportedly threatened to walk out of the opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The last day of nomination is Oct. 17. for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly election.
The 44-year-old leader wants his party to contest at least 24 seats in the election to the 243-member Bihar Assembly. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has put his foot down and said the ally can only get around 15 seats, as per NDTV.
If the VIP chief climbs down, the 'Grand Alliance' may eventually seal the seat deal. If he rebels and exits the alliance, his likely option will be the ruling National Democratic Alliance.
Earlier this month, Sahani claimed that he would be the Deputy Chief Minister if the Mahagathbandhan came to power in Bihar. He also praised Lalu Yadav's ideology of social justice and expressed commitment to the cause.
Caste Calculation
Mukesh Sahani, who founded the VIP party in 2018, likes to call himself the 'Son of Mallah (boatman)'. He belongs to the Extremely Backward Class, which constitutes 36% of Bihar's population. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has cultivated a strong support base among the EBCs with social and welfare policies.
As per the latest Bihar caste survey in 2023, the Mallah/Nishad caste of fishermen and boatmen communities form 2.6% of the population and are considered a floating bloc by politcal pundits.
Nishads are present in significant numbers in western Bihar. They have traditionally depended on rivers for livelihood.
The state has only seen two important Nishad leaders – Bhagwan Lal Sahni and the late Jai Narain Prasad Nishad.
"Every party in the grand alliance will receive their due rights, respect, and equal participation. This is our commitment," Sahani said in a recent media interaction.
Political Positions
Mukesh Sahani worked as a salesman in Mumbai in his initial years and later joined Bollywood as a set designer. After his return to Bihar, he founded an organisation named 'Nishad Vikas Sangh' and campaigned for the BJP during the 2015 Bihar Assembly election.
The BJP's refusal to include the Nishad community in the Scheduled Caste category led him to part ways.
The VIP unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election as part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance.
In the 2020 Bihar election, Sahani was initially with the Mahagathbandhan but switched to the NDA after he did not get the number of seats he demanded. As part of the NDA, VIP contested 11 seats and won four.
While one MLA died, the other three switched to the BJP. He later parted ways with the NDA.
Sahani served as Bihar's minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in the Nitish Kumar government till 2022.
