Patna:
The BJP received some good news today from a friend who's been acting distant lately. Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, said today that he will contest the general elections in partnership with the BJP.
Mr Kumar's party, the Janata Dal (United), co-governs Bihar with the BJP. Their relationship has been fractious recently, with both sides stating that they would contest the elections in 2014 independently. Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats; in the last election, Mr Kumar's party fought 25 seats and the BJP contested the other 15.
The global warming in the Bihar political landscape has been caused by the issue of who the BJP will pick as its prime ministerial candidate. Mr Kumar has said that he will not accept a candidate lacking in secular credentials - effectively ruling out Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi without naming him. Mr Kumar has denied that he sees himself as a contender for the top job. He has also said that because the BJP is the leader of the NDA coalition, the group's prime ministerial candidate should belong to the BJP.
Recently, CP Thakur, who is the President of the Bihar branch of the BJP said that the party would contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, a stand first taken by the chief minister.
Mr Kumar's gentler tone comes after a slew of angry protests during his recent tour of the state. Eggs, slippers, black flags all made appearances at his meetings. His party says the protests were instigated by his political opponents like Lalu Prasad Yadva, but sources in Mr Kumar's party also say that the chief minister has been disconcerted by the signs of discontent.
Today, he announced, "I 'm not allergic to the color black." His statement comes after a controversy erupted last week because people trying to enter one of his rallies in the Nawada area were denied entry because they were wearing black clothes, and the police was worried that the women in the group would use black dupattas or scarves to wave against him.
The Chief Minister has promised action against the policemen who blocked their entry.
Mr Kumar's party, the Janata Dal (United), co-governs Bihar with the BJP. Their relationship has been fractious recently, with both sides stating that they would contest the elections in 2014 independently. Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats; in the last election, Mr Kumar's party fought 25 seats and the BJP contested the other 15.
The global warming in the Bihar political landscape has been caused by the issue of who the BJP will pick as its prime ministerial candidate. Mr Kumar has said that he will not accept a candidate lacking in secular credentials - effectively ruling out Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi without naming him. Mr Kumar has denied that he sees himself as a contender for the top job. He has also said that because the BJP is the leader of the NDA coalition, the group's prime ministerial candidate should belong to the BJP.
Recently, CP Thakur, who is the President of the Bihar branch of the BJP said that the party would contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, a stand first taken by the chief minister.
Mr Kumar's gentler tone comes after a slew of angry protests during his recent tour of the state. Eggs, slippers, black flags all made appearances at his meetings. His party says the protests were instigated by his political opponents like Lalu Prasad Yadva, but sources in Mr Kumar's party also say that the chief minister has been disconcerted by the signs of discontent.
Today, he announced, "I 'm not allergic to the color black." His statement comes after a controversy erupted last week because people trying to enter one of his rallies in the Nawada area were denied entry because they were wearing black clothes, and the police was worried that the women in the group would use black dupattas or scarves to wave against him.
The Chief Minister has promised action against the policemen who blocked their entry.
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