Highlights upon Bihar Re-elections 2005

ANALYSIS : PARTY'S POLICIES IN ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS FEB'05 AND OCT-NOV'05

BIHAR ASSEMBLY DISSOLUTION AND RE-ELECTION DETAILS

Bihar Legislative Assembly Re-election 2005 Schedule :	-
Phase I	18th Oct.'05
Phase II	26th Oct.'05
Phase III	13th Nov.'05
Phase IV	19th Nov.'05
Counting of votes	22nd Nov.'05
President Rule in Bihar :	-
Imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution	7th Mar.'05
Expiry	6th Sep.'05
Bihar Assembly Dissolved within 79 days of its creation.	23rd May'05
Completion date of six months of premature dissolution of Bihar Legislative Assembly.	22nd Nov.'05
Benchmark date for re-elections in Bihar.	22nd Nov.'05
Bihar Assembly Member.	243
Total number of seats required to form government.	122
Last Assembly Elections Seat Structure :	-
No. of BJP seats	93
No. of RJD seats	77
No. of LJP seats	29
No. of INC seats	10
Others	33

31st May, 2005	Rameshwar Prasad Chaurasia (BJP), Kishore Kumar Munna (Independent), Rampravesh Rai (JD-U) and Dr Anil Kumar (breakaway LJP) - who were all elected in the 2005 elections filed petition against the dissolution of Bihar Assembly in the apex court saying the centre's decision to dissolve the Assembly was unconstitutional.
30th May, 2005	The two member Commission submitted report to the Election Commission ruling out the view of holding a free and fair poll during the July, August and September, 2005. The Commission considered suitable period for the poll to be October to November, 2005. A suitable time will be finalised in due course taking into account the factors like festivals as well as floods. However, National Democratic Alliance constituents BJP and JD(U) pleaded for an early poll before the monsoon onset.
27th May, 2005	The two member team held extensive meetings with recognized political parties, both National and State, (except CPI which did not meet the Commission’s team) in Bihar, senior officers, namely, the Chief Secretary, Chief Secretary Designate, Home Secretary, Special Home Secretary, Chief Electoral Officer, Director General of Police, IG (Headquarters), and DIG (Administration) and other concerned officials.
26th May, 2005	Ramvilas Paswan appoints Ghulam Rasool Baliyavi as the chief of LJP Bihar unit after his futile efforts to have a Muslim as Chief Minister.
24th May, 2005	The Election Commission deputed a two-member team to Bihar comprising of Shre Anand Kumar, Deputy Election Commissioner and Shri S.K. Mendiratta, Legal Advisor. The team is suppose to visit Patna on 27th & 28th May, 2005 and will meet the State Government officers, District Collectors and recognized Political Parties.
23rd May, 2005	President dissolved the State Assembly within 79 days of its creation.
22nd May, 2005	To prevent split in LJP legislature party in Bihar, party National General Secretary Suraj Bhan Singh took back the party MLAs to Delhi to attend a meeting called upon by Paswan. Dozen legislators of Bihar LJP met JDU leaders at a resort in Jamshedpur. A senior leader of JDU said that his party role will become relevant in BJP led NDA only after few LJP MLAs turned defiant and caused a split in the party.
17th May, 2005	Bihar Governor Buta Singh said that “horse-trading” is on to form a Government in Bihar and asserted that nobody will be allowed to “malign” the Constitution.
11th May, 2005	Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan proposed a Congress-led government along with Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, but only for a Muslim chief minister.
12th April, 2005	Paswan advised Nitish Kumar to merge his party with the BJP.
10th April, 2005	Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswas met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi to seek support to form a government in Bihar, now under President’s rule. LJP has 29 seats in the fractured 243-member Bihar assembly and holds the key to a popular government in the state.
9th April, 2005	JDU leader Nitish Kumar pulls out effort to form a popular Government in Bihar. He accused LJP President Ramvilas Paswan of ditching him.
7th April, 2005	After JD-U failed attempts to form Government in Bihar, Paswan set in motion. Senior LJP leader Ranjan Yadav will head the committee, which has former Bihar Minister and Paswan's brother Pashupati Paras, former State party chief Narender Singh, former Union Minister Nagmani, leader of the LJP legislature party in Bihar Ramashraya Prasad Singh and Maulana Ghulam Rasool Baliabi as members.
29th March, 2005	JD-U leader Nitish Kumar called upon anti-RJD groups to form Government in Bihar and ruled out possibilities of his party breaking ties with BJP.
24th March, 2005	JD-U MLA Monazir Hassan said that 18 MLAs (6 JD-U, 6 LJP & 6 independent) will resign if government is not formed within 100 days of declaration of results and go to the electorate for re-election.
9th March, 2005	Janata Dal-United leaders Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar asked Paswan to muster the support of 67 MLAs, they is ready with their 55 MLAs.
7th March, 2005	President’s rule imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution and the Assembly was suspended.
4th March, 2005	Bihar Legislative Assembly constituted by the Election Commission of India after the general election held in February.
2nd March, 2005	Congress sent a letter to Governor Buta Singh extending the party's support for formation of a Government led by RJD in Bihar.
1st March, 2005	LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan says neither will he support RJD or BJP nor will he take their support.
27th Feb, 2005	BJP indicated to align with LJP to form government if Paswan stick to his position of not supporting the RJD.