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NEW DELHI: If Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar indeed decides to return to BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), it could be a win-win situation for both the JD(U) and the saffron party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), had swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar winning 39 of the 40 seats in the state. If Nitish Kumar is back in NDA fold, the BJP would be confident of a repeat performance in Bihar. This will be important if the BJP were to achieve its desired target of crossing 400-mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
For the BJP, Nitish and Lalu together may have been a formidable electoral challenge in Bihar, more so after the recent caste survey which was championed by the chief minister. While the BJP had emerged as the senior partner of JD(U) for the first time in the 2020 assembly elections, the saffron party may need some more time to consolidate its presence in the state.
On the other hand, if Nitish Kumar goes ahead with his “BJP-wapsi”, he will hope to gain from the move in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The JD(U) had won 16 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and would want to improve on its tally this year. Armed with the weapon of caste survey, Nitish would want to add the benefit of BJP’s Hindutva agenda after the grand Ram Temple inauguration to expand his outreach in the state.
The Bihar chief minister has had a disappointing experience in the opposition alliance, where his role in uniting parties against the BJP was not duly recognised by the Congress and some other allies. Nitish had hoped to be projected as leader of the opposition alliance. However, the allies chose Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for the role after Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed his name. The JD(U) chief was also angry with the Congress for playing the “big brother” role in the alliance and delaying the seat-sharing talks.
Nitish Kumar, who has been reduced to being the junior partner in the state’s politics – both vis-à-vis the BJP and the RJD, also faces immense pressure from Lalu Prasad’s party to let Tejashwi Yadav, who has served two stints as deputy chief minister of the state, occupy the top post.
If he goes with the BJP, he may manage to secure his job as chief minister at least till the next assembly elections. Also, with odds in favour of BJP’s return to power at the Centre, he may hope for a good central role if the saffron party decides to claim the post of chief minister in the state after the assemby elections due next year.
Last but not the least, Lalu and his son Tejashwi are leaders with considerable mass base in Bihar, while the BJP still does not have any leader in the state with a wide appeal. The saffron party, like many other states, banks heavily on the charisma and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win elections in the state.
The NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), had swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar winning 39 of the 40 seats in the state. If Nitish Kumar is back in NDA fold, the BJP would be confident of a repeat performance in Bihar. This will be important if the BJP were to achieve its desired target of crossing 400-mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
For the BJP, Nitish and Lalu together may have been a formidable electoral challenge in Bihar, more so after the recent caste survey which was championed by the chief minister. While the BJP had emerged as the senior partner of JD(U) for the first time in the 2020 assembly elections, the saffron party may need some more time to consolidate its presence in the state.
On the other hand, if Nitish Kumar goes ahead with his “BJP-wapsi”, he will hope to gain from the move in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The JD(U) had won 16 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and would want to improve on its tally this year. Armed with the weapon of caste survey, Nitish would want to add the benefit of BJP’s Hindutva agenda after the grand Ram Temple inauguration to expand his outreach in the state.
The Bihar chief minister has had a disappointing experience in the opposition alliance, where his role in uniting parties against the BJP was not duly recognised by the Congress and some other allies. Nitish had hoped to be projected as leader of the opposition alliance. However, the allies chose Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for the role after Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed his name. The JD(U) chief was also angry with the Congress for playing the “big brother” role in the alliance and delaying the seat-sharing talks.
Nitish Kumar, who has been reduced to being the junior partner in the state’s politics – both vis-à-vis the BJP and the RJD, also faces immense pressure from Lalu Prasad’s party to let Tejashwi Yadav, who has served two stints as deputy chief minister of the state, occupy the top post.
If he goes with the BJP, he may manage to secure his job as chief minister at least till the next assembly elections. Also, with odds in favour of BJP’s return to power at the Centre, he may hope for a good central role if the saffron party decides to claim the post of chief minister in the state after the assemby elections due next year.
Last but not the least, Lalu and his son Tejashwi are leaders with considerable mass base in Bihar, while the BJP still does not have any leader in the state with a wide appeal. The saffron party, like many other states, banks heavily on the charisma and popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win elections in the state.
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