Back in Driver’s Seat, How Will an ‘Upset’ Nitish Kumar Steer JD(U) Through Crowded Oppn Field?

Drawing an end to speculation and rumours, the JD(U) yet again witnessed a change of guard as party members got their old guard back with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar finally taking the reins of the party once again.

At the party’s national executive committee meeting on Friday, senior members are said to have addressed other colleagues and expressed their desire to see Nitish Kumar back in the position of the national president. Kumar did not disagree or deny.

The members re-elected him as the chief of the JD(U), while Lalan Singh, who was holding the position, stepped down. Political circles are now abuzz with several other rumours, including the possibility of Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP again. Senior JD(U) leaders maintained that the members of the national executive committee requested Nitish Kumar to take the control of the party yet again, while Lalan Singh proposed his name as the national president.

“Singh cited time constraint and his inability to continue with the position as he wishes to contest the general elections in 2024. Singh further added that he wanted to devote more time in his constituency and organisational responsibilities. Giving all these reasons, he proposed Nitish Kumar ji‘s name as the party chief and all the members supported the proposal,” said a senior leader of the JD(U).

Is Nitish ‘Hurting’?

Another senior leader of the party said Nitish Kumar wants to initiate seat-sharing discussions with the constituents of the INDIA coalition. He was said to be upset as he did not get the “expected respect and recognition” from the alliance partners. He was reportedly not even consulted once before Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name for the face of the INDIA bloc was proposed.

“We all thought that he would be made the national convener of the alliance given his contribution to stitch everyone together. He travelled across states, met the senior leaders and brought everyone to the table for talks. He is the one who wrote to Sonia ji and Rahul ji around two to three times to convince them for the alliance,” said the senior leader of JD(U).

“There were initial hiccups as the AAP was not ready to come on the same platform as the Congress, and so did the Samajwadi Party. There were issues between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as well. He (Nitish Kumar) ironed them out and brought everyone together. But now we are seeing the Congress dictating terms, which is unfortunate,” he added.

Will the Change of Guard in JD(U) Affect INDIA Bloc?

With the change of JD(U) leadership, there are whispers in political circles that are indicative of another switch by Nitish Kumar – from the INDIA bloc back to the BJP.

Talking to News18, Shakti Singh Yadav, chief spokesperson of the RJD, however, denied the claims. “The BJP is worried over the strength of the JDU-RJD government. We do not believe that Nitish ji will ever join hands with the BJP. In fact, Nitish ji and Lalu ji played the most important role in stitching the alliance together. Their contribution to INDIA coalition is crucial. Nitish ji, of all people, always wanted to defeat the BJP at the Centre,” Yadav said.

Asked about Nitish Kumar’s old promise of handing over the mantle of Chief Minister to RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in 2024, Shakti Singh Yadav said: ” Tejashwi ji is the deputy chief minister of the state, and he has the firmest resolve to work for the betterment of the poor and the people of Bihar. He is not in a hurry to sit in the Chief Minister’s chair.”

Commenting on the developments, Sandeep Shastri, senior political analyst and national coordinator of Lokniti network, said: “The Opposition’s alliance will work and be successful only if they fight elections based on issues, on common minimum programmes. Once they make it a battle of leadership, they will lose the plot. With so many political changes happening in the alliance parties, we have to really wait and watch where it goes.”