In all its likelihood, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may on Tuesday decide to leave his Saffron alliance partner the BJP. His party the Janata Dal (United) JD(U) may form a new government with help from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and left parties.
Nitish Kumar has called for a meeting of JD(U) MLAs and MPs on Tuesday at 11 am amid the news of a rift with ally BJP, said JD(U) party chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan on Monday. Simultaneously, RJD is also scheduled to convene a meeting on Tuesday to discuss political developments in Bihar.
Earlier on Monday, the Congress party also convened a meeting of its legislature party in Bihar to contemplate the evolving political scenario in the state.
This is the first time in the past four years that the fissures between the coalition partners have become so sharp that Nitish may trash his dominant partner BJP any day soon to once again join hands with the grand alliance – Mahagathbandhan – of RJD, Congress and the Left in the state.
Sources watching the developments closely observed that Nitish has already set the ball rolling after holding talks with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and RJD leaders in order to clinch the deal. The RJD and JD(U) will on Tuesday hold meetings of their legislators separately. JD(U) has asked its MPs to stay back in Patna. It will become clear on Tuesday itself if the JD(U)–BJP coalition government falls apart and the Mahagathbandhan comes back to power in Bihar once again, riding piggyback on Nitish.
Both parties are tight-lipped about the imminent split in the JD(U)–BJP coalition, though the BJP on Monday downplayed the imminent split so did its alliance partner.
In the 243-member state Assembly, the RJD, JD(U) and Congress, respectively,
have 79, 45 and 19 MLAs, and if the numbers are added to the tally of the legislators with left parties and an independent MLA, the grand alliance can easily cross the majority mark with 160 legislators to support the coalition government.
If the recent political developments in Bihar are any indication, they may herald the formation of a new government headed by the Mahagathbandhan in days to come. More than anything else, the coup may help the Congress revive itself in the state. These developments have enthused the Congress party.
It is still yet not known the reason behind Nitish falling out of his alliance partner BJP, though differences between the partners have been there for quite some time. The Bihar chief minister began to distance himself from his coalition partner even before presidential elections took place on 21 July. He skipped the meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah on 17 July. Nitish was conspicuous by his absence during the swearing-in ceremony of President elect Droupadi Murmu. He gave the recently held NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi the same treatment.
However, the recent controversy surrounding former JD(U) chief RCP Singh, the lone JD(U) leader in the BJP-led government at the Centre, proved the last straw, said the sources. The rift between the partners only increased when Singh lashed out at Nitish after he tendered resignation amid corruption charges. RCP, as the former IAS officer is popularly known, is seen close to the BJP. The JD(U) leaders allege it was all BJP’s doing. This led to events taking an unprecedented turn in Patna, as Nitish began to hold dialogue with the leaders of opposition parties.
The initiative taken by Nitish has rather given the Opposition, which was on the back foot so far in the state, a fillip. If Nitish forms government in the state in coalition with the Congress and RJD, it is bound to create a positive impact on the overall political scenario in the country.
The electoral defeats the Congress has witnessed in recent times and the continued onslaught of the Enforcement Directorate against top leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul have together definitely rattled the Congress party and dented its morale. After the fall of the MVA government in Maharashtra, speculation is rife about an imminent fall of its coalition government in Jharkhand. Its governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan may also be targeted.
According to political observers, the latest developments in Bihar may be a godsend for the Congress when it is facing crises on many fronts. Though, it has to some extent resuscitated itself by putting up a brave fight against the Centre on issues of common concern and shown the nation that if pushed to the wall it can always fight back. The party hopes that the Opposition, which went astray during elections to the offices of the President and Vice President, may again rally behind Nitish.