Before the Bihar elections, there is a debate on Nitish Kumar’s ‘election after future’. In Bihar, the Janata Dal (United) has given the slogan ‘2025 to 30, again Nitish’. From JDU alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to other parties, the assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. But no one is openly saying that Nitish Kumar will be the CM. Opposition parties are claiming that Nitish Kumar will not become CM after the election citing his growing age and health. The teams and their leaders in the NDA are trying to keep Nitish Kumar in the race of CM.
At the same time, along with opposition parties, the battle to become an alternative to Nitish is also seen sprinkling inside. In the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav and Jan Suraj were trying to replace Prashant Kishore Nitish Kumar and now the name of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has also joined it. The race to become an alternative to Nitish Kumar in Bihar politics had already started, but a statement made by him at the end of the 2020 election campaign accelerated. Addressing an election rally on the last day of campaigning for Bihar elections, Nitish Kumar played an emotional card and said- this is my last election. After this announcement of Nitish, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, who was the Chief Ministerial candidate from the opposition grand alliance, came to the race, added the names one by one.
Upendra Kushwaha
Upendra Kushwaha merged his party Rashtriya Lok Samata Party into JDU. Upendra Kushwaha’s age, experience and being made the leader of the JDU parliamentary party, his claim to be an alternative to Nitish Kumar for the post of CM was also strengthening. Upendra Kushwaha comes from the Koiri category, which also fits in Nitish Kumar’s Lav-Kush (Kurmi, Koiri) equation.
Upendra Kushwaha was seen as an alternative to Nitish, but the picture changed. He was sidelined in the party after Nitish joined the NDA with RJD. He became vocal against Nitish Kumar and later left the party and formed his own separate party. Upendra Kushwaha’s party is also in the NDA, but it looks far behind in terms of political status. Emperor Chaudhary Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary is an old leader, but after the Bihar election, he established himself firmly on the political map.
The emperor, who was counted among the energetic leaders, was one of Nitish Kumar’s most vocal opponents in Bihar. When the BJP handed over the command of Bihar BJP to the Emperor, it was seen as a strategy to come out of Nitish Kumar’s shadow and present an option. Muraitha joined the identity of Emperor Chaudhary and also swear that Muraitha would not open until Nitish is removed from the post of CM. The emperor also comes from the Koiri category like Upendra Kushwaha. After the Grand Alliance, when Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA, the emperor was made the deputy CM in the government. The emperor, who is counted among the biggest faces of Bihar BJP, is also considered to be involved in the race to become an alternative to Nitish Kumar in Bihar. Prashant Kishore Lok Nayak, Jayaprakash Narayan’s disciples, go beyond the era of disciples and counted among the major youth of Bihar politics.
PK has been an election strategist from non-political background, he played an important role in winning the Nitish-led grand alliance by stopping the NDA’s victory chariot in the 2015 Bihar election. PK started his political debut by joining JDU, within a month of joining, Nitish Kumar made him the vice -president. PK was also considered to be the successor of Nitish in JDU, but this journey did not last long. PK left the JDU and started the Jan Suraj Padayatra. PK has now entered the electoral fray with Jan Suraj Party and is constantly attacking the Lalu family along with surrounded the ruling alliance in Bihar. PK’s attempt is to give Bihar a third option in the form of Jana Suraj, apart from the NDA and the Grand Alliance. PK’s name is also being considered in the race to become an alternative to Nitish for the post of CM. Chirag Paswan
Before the strong political rise of Emperor Chaudhary and PK in Bihar, the name of Chirag Paswan was also taken along with Tejashwi Yadav, considered a strong contender for CM. When Chirag announced to contest the 2020 election alone, it was also seen as an attempt to increase the strength of his bargaining and emerge as a third force.
Chirag Paswan has created a stir by talking about fighting 243 seats before this election, but his political ambitions are also being told behind it. Chirag Paswan’s statement that our alliance is only with the people of Bihar, his CM’s race is being indicated and his party has started projecting him as CM’s face.
