The Mahagathbandhan has declared Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate, but the NDA is yet to announce Nitish Kumar as its choice for the top post if it returns to power in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar, notorious for shifting political alliances, recently assured at an election rally in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he has “learnt his lesson” and will no longer switch camps, pledging loyalty to the NDA.
When Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Bihar recently, Nitish personally called on him as a courtesy, further strengthening the perception that he was doing everything possible to stay in the BJP’s good books and secure the Chief Minister’s chair.
Adding to this is the fact that Nitish’s JD(U) has 12 MPs in Parliament, a crucial number for the NDA to retain power at the Centre.
The big question remains: why has the BJP still not announced Nitish Kumar as its Chief Ministerial candidate?
During the last Bihar election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to support the NDA, saying Nitish Kumar and the alliance would make Bihar vibrant. This time, however, there has been no mention of Nitish Kumar.
Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraaj Party even stated he would retire from politics if JD(U) won more than 25 seats this time; implying that a poor JD(U) performance would mean the NDA’s loss in Bihar and Nitish losing his claim to the CM post, though the BJP could still retain his support at the Centre.
In the unlikely scenario of the NDA winning Bihar despite JD(U)’s poor show, it would signal a spectacular BJP performance.
In that case, the BJP is unlikely to play second fiddle to Nitish Kumar; and could even poach his MPs to consolidate power.
Either way, it seems the BJP has already finalized its strategy for dealing with Nitish Kumar.
