Plans for Nitish Kumar to Return as Chief Minister Trigger Clashes in Patna

Nine months after he quit as Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar is ready to take charge of the state again. His strategy will have to involve a workaround for the man he had installed as his replacement, Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Five people were injured today in clashes between supporters of the two leaders outside their party office in Patna. "I am like Draupadi under attack, and he (Nitish) is like Bhishma Pita-mah, watching silently," said Mr Manjhi, theatrically referencing the Mahabharata.

The violence among party workers comes ahead of tomorrow's meeting where law-makers from the Janata Dal United or JDU are expected to formally urge Mr Kumar to return as Chief Minister. Mr Manjhi has declared that meeting illegal. He says only one person has the authority to call that meeting - the serving Chief Minister.

Mr Kumar resigned as Chief Minister after his party bombed in the national election, winning just two of the state's parliamentary seats. But Bihar votes later this year, and the JDU feels Mr Kumar should be the face of its campaign. The JDU's minority government depends on support from Lalu Yadav and his regional party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD. Lalu has sanctioned the return of Mr Kumar as head of the state.

Mr Manjhi's term has been studded with controversy including the assignation of key government positions to relatives. Praise for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also used by him to message that he could switch sides, if pushed, and engineer the defection of others. That task has been made easier by the recent victories of the BJP in recent state elections, largely due to formidable campaigning by the PM.

In a state where caste plays a central role, Mr Manjhi has also repeatedly highlighted that he is a Mahadalit, one of the most underprivileged castes in Bihar, and a part of the vote bank that the Janata Dal United cannot do without.