Bihar Politics Crisis: Nitish Kumar is expected to join the BJP on Sunday.
Political circles are abuzz with reports that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may join hands with BJP again, a party he had parted ways with in 2022. Mr Kumar's exit would spell trouble for the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' coalition in Bihar.
Here are 10 facts about the ongoing Bihar political crisis:
Nitish Kumar has jumped between the BJP, Congress, and/or Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal since 2013, so much so that he has acquired the moniker 'Paltu Ram'. After parting ways with the BJP in 2022, he had taken on the initiative of uniting all opposition forces to jointly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party in the 2024 elections.
The latest speculation about his switch was triggered after the BJP awarded a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, to former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. Mr Thakur was an iconic socialist leader who was Chief Minister twice in the 1970s and is credited with implementing the state's contentious alcohol prohibition policy. Still remembered today as 'Jan Nayak', or 'leader of the people', Karpoori Thakur's legacy remains a valuable asset for political parties today.
Nitish Kumar's former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi's cryptic statement, "No door is closed in politics. The door can be opened if needed," has added another layer of suspense to the development.
According to leaders close to the 72-year-old, the January 13 meeting of the INDIA alliance was the turning point. In that meeting, Nitish Kumar's name was proposed as Convenor by CPM Leader Sitaram Yechury and endorsed by almost all leaders, including Lalu Yadav and Sharad Pawar. However, Rahul Gandhi interjected and said a decision on this would have to wait as Trinamool Congress leader and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had reservations over Nitish Kumar for the role.
A flurry of activities have started across Bihar adding fire to the reports that Nitish Kumar will bid adieu to the now-stuttering Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc. The Bihar government transferred 79 Indian Police Service (IPS) and 45 Bihar Administrative Service (BAS) officers on Friday.
The BJP has convened a meeting to discuss strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, hinting at a possible alliance with Nitish Kumar. State unit chief Samrat Choudhary downplays speculations, but sources say behind-the-scenes discussions are on.
Amid the crisis, both the Congress and RJD have called for meetings of their legislators. But Congress denies any connection to the evolving political scenario and claims that the meeting is to discuss preparations for Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'.
BJP sources have told NDTV that the process of Nitish Kumar and his party Janata Dal (United) breaking away from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and officially aligning with the BJP is underway. Instead of Nitish Kumar stepping down, BJP eyes reshuffling the Bihar cabinet by replacing RJD ministers with its own MLAs.
At the BJP's big meeting today, the party collected letters of support for Nitish Kumar from their elected representatives. The support letters will be delivered to the Chief Minister's home tonight.
Nitish Kumar has convened a session of the legislature party at 10 am on Sunday. Reports suggest that he could join hands and officially stake claim to the Chief Minister post for an unprecedented ninth time, backed by the BJP later tomorrow.
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