The BJP, politically isolated in Bihar, held a brainstorming session this evening where the party's senior-most leaders were in favour of focussing on the upper castes and finding a face that can challenge Nitish Kumar, sources said. The meet -- led by Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda -- are also likely to agree to a series of rallies in the state with the "pol khol (unmask) Nitish Kumar" theme, sources said.
Mr Kumar has not only walked out of the alliance with the BJP, he has also mopped up all the opposition parties in Bihar in his new alliance, leaving only the Pashupati Paras faction of the Lok Janshakti Party as a BJP ally. Sources said the BJP's core group is toying with the idea of bringing together the two factions of the LJP to increase its strength.
The sudden coalescing of the opposition parties has left the BJP isolated. It has also left it without any core support groups. The Most Backward Castes which had voted for it in the last state elections are the supporters of Nitish Kumar and are believed to have walked away with him. The non-Yadav OBCs (Other Backward Castes), Dalits, Yadavs and Muslims are firmly behind the Mahagathbandhan, with Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha coming together.
Sources said the BJP is expected to make big changes at the organizational level as the term of state party president Sanjay Jaiswal is getting over next month.
Mr Kumar's Janata Dal United snapped ties with the BJP last week and joined hands with the RJD in a dramatic switch of power.
The new government announced its cabinet today, with 31 ministers taking oath. The biggest chunk of cabinet seats has gone to the RJD, which has the maximum number of MLAs in the state assembly.
Thirty-one ministers were inducted into the cabinet. The RJD got 16 ministerial slots, the JD(U) kept 11. Bihar can have a maximum number of 36 ministers. Some slots have been kept vacant for later changes.
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