Bihar Politics: Uncertainty has started deepening about the future of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, which has been axious for decades of Bihar politics. It is not clear within the Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Bharatiya Janata Party before the assembly elections to be held in the state at the end of this year, whether Nitish Kumar will once again lead the alliance. However, the BJP has given him the leadership of the leadership.
The Chief Minister’s age (74) and deteriorating health are constantly being questioned. Along with this, the situation is not clear about his successor in the party. This is the reason that there is an atmosphere of confusion and anxiety within the JDU and allies. The way the JDU seats have declined in the last elections, it is a threat to the Chief Minister’s chair, but now the party is also in trouble. According to political experts, Lalu Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav can play with the Congress between BJP and JDU.
Leadership crisis and increasing restlessness in party
On one side in the JDU office in Patna, there are slogans like ‘2025 to 2030, again Nitish’ on the walls, while insecurity between party workers and leaders is clearly visible. A senior JDU leader says that many of us were associated with the party due to Nitish ji’s personality and leadership. But now the question is, who will handle the party after Nitish ji? There is an emptiness about leadership within the party.
Will Nishant Kumar enter politics?
The name of Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar is being brought into the discussion as a possible successor. Some party leaders, such as Minister Shravan Kumar, have openly stated that Nishant’s arrival in politics will be good for the party. However, Nishant Kumar himself has been denying this possibility till now.
Three trusted faces, but limited effects
Three senior leaders who are considered close to Nitish are Sanjay Jha, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Ashok Chaudhary in the second line of leadership. But none of these keeps Nitish -like charisma or broad base. Sanjay Jha is considered to be the closest of Nitish, but questions have also been raised in the party about his old relations with BJP.
Tejashwi and Prashant Kishore targeted
Questioning the health of the Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has said that Nitish is no longer even speaking on any important issue and “tired”. At the same time, Prashant Kishore, the head of the Janasuraj Party, has also been criticizing Nitish Kumar’s activism from time to time.
BJP’s dilemma, RJD expectations
BJP has never formed a government alone in Bihar and has been dependent on Nitish Kumar. In such a situation, the BJP itself is in a strategic dilemma due to Nitish’s unstable leadership and lack of successor in JDU. On the other hand, RJD feels that they can benefit from this leadership crisis. At the same time, the RJD took full advantage of this to form Lalu’s government with the Congress
What will be the direction of JDU core vote bank?
With the weakening of Nitish’s political influence, the question is also arising that JDU’s core voter, especially the Extreme Backward Class (EBC), will go in which direction. Will he go with BJP or will he turn to RJD?
The politics of Bihar is going through a large transition period. Nitish Kumar’s health, seeking successor in the party, and confusion of allies have put the JDU’s future in front of a big question mark. In the upcoming election of Bihar, it will be interesting to see if Nitish Kumar will be able to prove his political power once again or the script of his subsequent politics has started to be written now.
