Has Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar completely surrendered to the pressure politics of the BJP?
Has the saffron party extracted its pound of flesh from the Bihar government, making it clear that the JD(U) is no longer the big brother of the coalition of the ruling parties in the state?
After Nitish Kumar appointed seven ministers Wednesday, all from the BJP, it became clear that he had lost the political clout by dint of which, he became the Bihar Chief Minister.
With the recent expansion of the government, the saffron party has now 21 ministers while the JD(U) has 13 and the, Hindustani Awami Morcha 1. One minister is an indepedent MLA.
The BJP has 80 seats while the JD(U) has 45 in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
BJP Tightens Grip Over Bihar Government
This is the first time since 2005 that the BJP has 50% more ministers compared to the JD(U).
If reports are to be believed, the JD(U) members are seething with anger taking the cabinet expansion as a major snub, though they are tight-lipped.
Party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that the party president had all the rights reserved, and he had taken a decision in the best interest of the party.
BJP spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said, “It is the Chief Minister’s privilege, the ministers are from the NDA, not from the BJP or the JD(U).”
Has Nitish Kumar Surrendered?
However, analysts believe, Nitish Kumar has surrendered to the BJP and has accepted the harsh reality that he has lost the dominance that he enjoyed once despite not having the maximum number of seats.
It is also believed that Nitish Kumar will continue to be the head of the government, though he would not be as much effective as before.
RJD Offers Olive Branch To Nitish Kumar
The cabinet expansion took place at a time when the main opposition party, the RJD, once again tried to reach out to the chief minister by welcoming his son Nishant Kumar to the state politics and offered him a ticket if he joined the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party.
However, Nitish Kumar’s son replied by attacking Lalu Yadav and holding him responsible for the backwardness of the state during his regime.
Rejecting the rumour regarding the sickness of Nitish Kumar, he also demanded that the NDA should declare his father the next chief minister of the state as he is completely fit and healthy and has traveled to 38 states of the state.
Will Nitish Kumar Be Next Chief Minister
Analysts believe, there is less possibility of the coalition declaring Nitish Kumar the next Bihar Chief Minister.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the MLAs would choose the next chief minister, kickstarting a fresh controversy at that time.
It was followed by the Bihar BJP chief, who said that the true homage to Jai Prakash Narayan will be installed by a BJP government in Bihar.
Analysts believe the saffron party may not choose Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister next time even if it goes to the polls with his face.
The recent expansion shows the increasing grip of the BJP over the Bihar NDA and the weakening of Nitish Kumar.
If the saffron party gets the maximum number of seats in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, it will certainly make its leader the head of the government to implement its programmes and policies.
