Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Is Nitish Kumar set for another U-turn? “Decision tomorrow,” says JD(U)

“We will take a decision tomorrow after all our leaders review the situation,” said Bihar minister and senior JD(U) leader Vijay Choudhary.

Choudhary is also known for being a close confidante of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

Nitish has called a crucial meeting of his party MLAs and MPs on Tuesday to take stock of the situation and the rumour is that this could set the stage for his latest volte face.

Leaders from the Janata Dal United, have accused BJP of trying to split the party by operating against Nitish Kumar.

Nitish Kumar has had an uneasy alliance with the saffron party in Bihar since the 2020 assembly elections in which his party was reduced to being the junior partner of BJP.

Kumar has a history of switching alliances to stay in power. After a long association with the BJP, he joined hands with the RJD and the Congress to form a grand alliance in 2017.
However, in 2020 he quit the alliance to return to BJP’s fold and contested the assembly elections as part of the NDA.

With the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is the single largest party in Bihar, already offering to “embrace” Nitish Kumar if he dumps the BJP, the stage is set for an interesting political potboiler in Bihar.

In the 2020 assembly elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats. It was closely followed by the BJP which won 74. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) with 43 seats was a distant third in the race followed by the Congress which got 19 seats. With four MLAs of Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen joining the RJD, the tally of Lalu’s party is now at 80.

RJD also called for a meeting of its MLAs in Patna. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), a constituent of the NDA, is also holding a meeting of its MLAs.

The Congress has also convened a meeting of its legislature party in Bihar to discuss the political situation in the state and will “welcome” chief minister Nitish Kumar into the opposition camp if he chose to snap ties with BJP.

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