Before Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, two other key leaders, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday had ruled out the possibility of seat-sharing with the Congress and said they would go solo in Bengal and Punjab respectively.
Fuelling speculations ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls awaited in few months, the INDIA bloc ally and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday hinted at quitting the Opposition bloc and rejoining former ally BJP. Moreover, in a major setback to Congress, Kumar also refused to join the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Bihar.
It has been reported that Kumar has called all his MLAs to Patna. It is speculated that Kumar would resign first before joining hands with the BJP, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and others. Kumar would opt for the dissolution of the present House and seek a new mandate after the new cabinet is formed,
Before Nitish Kumar, two other key leaders, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday had ruled out the possibility of seat-sharing with the Congress and said they would go solo in Bengal and Punjab respectively.
With the BJP in almost no mood to reconcile with this old ally ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls in 2024, it has been reported that they can only accept the alliance with Nitish Kumar if he resigns as Bihar Chief Minister and gives the post to the BJP.
What sparked the row over the possibility of this new turbulence in Bihar's political landscape was a cryptic tweet by Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya who took a swipe at Kumar for "changing his ideology as the wind changes its direction" in a now-deleted post on micrologging site 'X'.
"People often cannot see their own shortcomings but continue to throw mud at others with impudence," she wrote in Hindi.
In another tweet that was also deleted, Rohini Acharya said, "What outrage will be there when somebody who is undeserving is given prominence? Who can question the method when there is deceit in one's own intentions?"
Reportedly, the decision to switch sides with only a few months left before the Lok Sabha polls came as the ties between the two ruling allies Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are facing fresh tensions in the state.
For the 72-year-old veteran politician, this would be the fifth change of camp. Since 2013, he has been oscillating between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. The last time he switched sides was back in 2022, three years after he had walked out of the Grand Alliance and joined the NDA.
As per media reports, Congress sent a formal invitation via party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan. However, the Janata Dal (United) supremo, who is already upset over delays in seat-sharing talks, reportedly remained non-committal.
Nitish Kumar's decision to stay away from the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra stirs tension within the INDIA bloc - formed amid fanfare in July last year to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha election.