Modi may dread Nitish Kumar’s compulsive somersaults
Image credit X @NitishKumar
Will Nitish Kumar ditch BJP once more?
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, June 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may hope that the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stays focussed on the 2025 state Assembly elections. The Bihar verdict in the Lok Sabha elections cements the role of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state politics.
The BJP and the Janata Dal (United) have won 12 Lok Sabha seats each. The junior ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas), struck gold by winning all the five Lok Sabha seats.
The NDA lost at least four Lok Sabha seats for the possible misadventure of the BJP in playing with the Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh. Former Union Minister of State and the NDA ally, Upender Kushwaha, lost the Lok Sabha elections from the Karakat parliamentary constituency.
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The loss of the BJP in Patliputra and other adjoining areas was principally explained to the dent in the Rajput vote base due to the Pawan Singh factor, said a senior state leader of the saffron outfit. Union Minister of state for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai lost the Lok Sabha elections from the Patliputra seat.
The Bihar chief minister with a dozen Lok Sabha seats is gaining the attention of the Opposition for a possible fresh volte-face for which he is famous. “The Bihar chief minister may stay with the BJP for the 2025 Assembly elections. He has a point to prove that he is not a compulsive politician who ditches his allies,” said a senior state BJP leader.
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Kumar had jumped the boat just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to join hands with the BJP. He was the architect of the Opposition unity.
The Bihar chief minister may be mindful that the Opposition is far from the half way mark to topple the Modi government at the Centre. “He will not be doing adventure politics also for his health reasons,” said a senior JD (U) leader.
But the Bihar chief minister may be alarmed at the fresh bout of the caste realignment in the state. The JD (U) lost the Purnea Lok Sabha seat to the independent candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.
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Also, Kumar’s core vote base of Kurmi-Koeri is in disarray. The Koeri (Kushwaha) vote base majorly supported the CPI (ML) candidates in Bihar.
The drift in the social base of the JD (U) may revive the fear within the ranks of the party that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) could eat into its core base and also nibble away the party leaders.
“The fear of the RJD and also its assertive leadership may keep the Bihar chief minister in the company of the BJP. The chief minister will now be convinced that he will be most pampered by the BJP after the pride of Modi has been dented in the Lok Sabha elections,” added a senior state BJP leader.
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