Bihar assembly elections: Has Nitish Kumar lost his bargaining energy? | India News

NEW DELHI: Has Nitish Kumar lost the sheen and likewise the bargaining energy that helped him dominate Bihar’s political panorama for over 20 years? The critics of Nitish Kumar say that the latest cupboard growth, which noticed 7 BJP MLAs be part of his ministry, is a transparent indication of who is asking the photographs in Bihar.
The opposition in Bihar claims that the BJP has “completely hijacked” Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and is having fun with energy through the use of the chief minister as a masks.
“People should look into the background as to how many cases are against those who have been inducted into Bihar cabinet. This is the last cabinet expansion of the CM (Nitish Kumar). NDA will be finished in 2025. The CM is not able to be at the post. He is tired. He has been losing his credibility. The people of Bihar don’t want a Khatara Gaadi (outdated vehicle) but a newer one,” chief of opposition Tejashwi Yadav stated.
“It was not a cabinet expansion of Bihar but of the BJP. JD(U) has been completely hijacked. The BJP wants to finish the JD(U). Many of the leaders are there in JD(U), but their hearts are with the BJP. The BJP wants to be a dominant force here, but their dream will remain a mere dream,” the RJD chief added.
Another robust critic of Nitish Kumar, former election strategist Prashant Kishor who has floated his personal outfit Jan Suraaj Party, additionally lambasted the BJP for “enjoying power while using Nitish Kumar as a mask.” The former JD(U) nationwide vice-president claimed that “loot of public money and assuaging some estranged castes” had been the intentions behind the cupboard growth “with hardly six months left for polls”.
Both the BJP and the JD(U), two key constituents of ruling NDA, strongly rejected opposition’s cost and launched a counterattack.
The Janata Dal (United) stated that the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) will get so few seats within the Bihar assembly elections that its chief Tejashwi Yadav is not going to even get the standing of chief of opposition. JD(U) nationwide spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad stated the RJD rule underneath Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi had left Bihar in dire straits and it was Nitish Kumar who labored to enhance its situation on each growth metrics.
The JD(U) chief alleged that the individuals of Bihar nonetheless “shudder” pondering of the “jungle raaj” of the RJD rule, when quite a few caste massacres occurred, and folks had been killed in broad daylight and had been kidnapped for ransom.
Union minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh additionally attacked Tejashwi Yadav and stated that “choron ko sab najar aate hain chor.” (Thieves see everybody as thieves). “There is a proverb used in villages ‘choron ko sab najar aate hain chor’. Since Lalu Yadav’s government was a government of ‘gangsters’ and hence they see others with the same lens,” the BJP MP stated.
So, is there advantage in opposition cost or can Nitish nonetheless dictate phrases in alliance?
In the 2020 assembly elections, Nitish Kumar was decreased to being the junior accomplice in NDA for the primary time because the BJP received extra seats than the JD(U). Interestingly, it was one other NDA constituent, the Lok Janshakti Party of Chirag Paswan that performed a key position on this change of energy dynamics by strategically fielding candidates towards JD(U) and guaranteeing division of votes. However, the BJP stored its pre-poll promise and fashioned a authorities underneath Nitish Kumar.

But the change in quantity dynamics as soon as once more sowed the seeds of unease between the 2 long-term allies. Nitish as soon as once more jumped the NDA ship and joined fingers with Lalu Prasad’s RJD, solely to return again to the NDA fold forward of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Can Nitish swap once more?
Well, Nitish Kumar, who has already made so many alliance flip-flops, can definetly resolve for one more swap. But the massive query is will he dare to do this once more? While something is feasible in politics, however with his credibility already underneath stake – a choice to alter alliance forward of assembly elections will likely be very tough for Nitish. Another moot query is will Tejashwi be keen to take him again in Mahagathbandhan and underneath what situations? In all his earlier tie-ups with RJD, Nitish was the undisputed chief and Tejashwi his deputy.
Has the BJP has made one other flip-flop tough for Nitish?
The BJP has been very focussed on Bihar forward of the year-end assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 8 MPs from the state Union ministers after profitable the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Bihar has gained essentially the most within the final two Union budgets – getting a number of initiatives and central doles. Prime Minister Modi held a mega rally in Bhagalpur earlier this month which was actually the launch of NDA’s election marketing campaign within the state. The Prime Minister made a robust farmers’ outreach from Bihar disbursing near Rs 23,000 crore to just about 100 million beneficiaries of Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana throughout the nation. With a lot of largesse from the Centre, it will likely be tough for Nitish to consider and justify any alliance swap to the individuals of the state.
Nitish Kumar, who has had a dominating presence within the state, is probably passing by way of the hardest part of his political profession. Rumours round his well being haven’t helped the issues. Little surprise, Prashant Kishor, friend-turned-bitter critic of Nitish Kumar has thrown an open dare on the Bihar chief minister. “I challenge Nitish Kumar to spell out the names of ministers in the state cabinet without looking at a piece of paper. If he thus demonstrates his mental soundness, I would give up politics and start working for him,” Kishor stated attacking the JD(U) chief.
Assembly elections within the state remains to be many months away and it will likely be attention-grabbing to see how Nitish adapts to the modified floor realities.