Patna: In a topsy-turvy twist in Bihar’s politics, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has sent a warm invitation to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to return to the Grand Alliance. The announcement is made as the discussions about a potential political shift in the state are ongoing, raising brows considering the opposing views of Lalu’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, who previously mentioned that the door was closed for Nitish.
Lalu Yadav even went to the extent of saying that if Nitish Kumar chooses to return, all past mistakes will be forgiven, which shows a huge shift in RJD’s relation to its erstwhile ally. This unforeseen offer has sparked questions about the motives behind Lalu’s sudden change of heart, particularly when Tejashwi has been explicitly against bringing Nitish back.
Betterment of Nitish’s Position
As per Lalu’s close aides, Nitish Kumar’s bargaining power within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is the one that stands to gain from this game. Analysts opine that Lalu is interested in keeping the BJP weak in Bihar, as it is the party in power at the moment. BJP is seen as a growing threat to regional parties like RJD and Lalu is dealing with this by trying to balance powers.
Lalu, the RJD head, fears that if the BJP continues to go up, the regional parties will lose influence, similar to the case in Haryana and Karnataka. By publicly wooing Nitish back just before elections, Lalu wants to bolster his position in the NDA.
Historically, since 2005, the political theater in Bihar is all about Nitish Kumar. Regardless of which party it is, he is always the Chief Minister. The RJD had opportunities for governance in 2015 and 2022 and both these times were facilitated by Nitish’s actions.
Currently, there seems to be no other formula for governance without Nitish. His party, Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], commands significant support among the backward and Mahadalit voters. Even in bad times, JD(U) has managed to keep a vote bank of more than 16%.
Lalu’s invitation comes at a time when caste dynamics are the main concern in Bihar politics. The party which effectively collaborates with Dalit and backward communities is usually the one that wins. Recently Tejashwi has concentrated on these groups by giving tickets to candidates from these communities instead of old RJD bases like Yogis and Muslims.
Path Ahead
The coming Lok Sabha elections will be a vital period for all parties involved. The invitation from Lalu to Nitish and Tejashwi speaking without practice, for political observers, is a cue for them to think about the future, alliances, and strategies.
In previous elections, like in 2014 when Nitish lost alone against NDA candidates, Lalu’s RJD performed better with four seats, the impression of collaboration was pervasive. Their partnership, which followed the alliance, was the factor that gave them success over BJP in 2015.
Though the time of accumulating tension is here, and political maneuvering is in full swing, how this unwanted but new shift will materialize, is going to be a bit of a surprise to everyone. Whether it is going to build up a new alliance or going to divide the parties in the state of Bihar more, is the big question.
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