Amid political uncertainty in Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is, in all likelihood, prepared to break ranks with his alliance partners RJD, Congress, and others, and realign with his "natural" ally BJP, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi indicated that doors are never permanently closed to anyone in politics.
Ever since Nitish separated for the third time from the BJP in Bihar, Sushil Modi has, on numerous occasions, said that Nitish will not be welcomed back into the BJP fold. However, sources in both the BJP and the JD(U) indicated that a "dignified" realignment is being worked out against the backdrop of BJP leadership repeatedly tagging Nitish as a 'Paltu Ram'.
BJP sources have asserted that the JD(U) joining their alliance will ensure a sweeping victory for the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 elections, the NDA secured 39 out of Bihar's 40 seats. However, a faction of BJP leaders from Bihar is reluctant to align with the JD(U), citing a perceived decline in Nitish's popularity.
After Nitish severed ties with the BJP in 2022, the party initially declared that its doors were permanently closed to Bihar's longest-serving chief minister. However, lately, party leaders have adopted a more conciliatory tone, especially as the INDIA bloc faces internal crises.
Amid this rapidly changing scenario, some political insiders from stakeholder parties suggest the possibility of the existing JD(U) breaking apart. One faction may align with the RJD, while another might join the BJP. Regardless, there seems to be no likelihood of the Assembly being dissolved, as the Bihar Assembly Speaker belongs to the ruling RJD, the largest party in Bihar with 75 MLAs. The BJP follows with 74, while Nitish Kumar's faction leads the State with a modest 43 legislators in the Assembly.
On their part, JD(U)'s political adviser and spokesperson KC Tyagi has asserted that the JD(U) is the "architect of INDIA" and wishes to remain a part of the coalition, although developments in West Bengal and Punjab are causing concern.
State BJP president Samrat Choudhary, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the party's principal strategist, in Delhi on Thursday night, asserted that the talks focused on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "Our top leaders, like Amit Shah and national president JP Nadda, have publicly stated that the doors of the BJP are closed. As a party worker, I adhere to that stance. Nitish Kumar, to us, is a politician who changes his allies like clothes," said Choudhary.
On Republic Day, Nitish attended the high tea ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Patna, where his deputy Tejashwi Yadav was absent.
The JD(U) asserted on Friday that the party is "firmly with the INDIA coalition" but emphasised the need for the Congress to engage in "introspection" regarding alliance partners and seat-sharing. Bihar State JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha made this statement, refuting rumours that his party, led by the chief minister, was contemplating a return to the BJP-led NDA.
Meanwhile, the Congress, which is a part of the present coalition government in Bihar, has called for a meeting of its legislators led by Congress CLP leader Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan in Purnia on Saturday afternoon.
The BJP has been in communication with its Bihar allies, including Chirag Paswan and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, regarding the developments in the state. However, they have not received a clear indication about the possibility of JD(U) returning to their fold.
Former Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan revealed that he was "in constant touch with the top BJP leadership" but considered the question of whether Nitish Kumar would be acceptable as a new NDA partner as "hypothetical."
