Bihar: Nitish Kumar exits centre stage; BJP period begins | India Information
NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar on Tuesday tendered his resignation because the chief minister of Biharsetting the state in direction of a brand new period of politics. BJP’s Samrat Choudhary is all set to take the oath as the subsequent CM.With Lalu Yadav out of lively politics and Nitish Kumar now in Rajya Sabha, this additionally marks the top of the long-running political lineage that revolved across the beliefs of Jay Prakash Narayan, Karpoori Thakur, and Lohia after over three many years.
Now, Bharatiya Janata Celebration – which for lengthy performed the position of second fiddle to Nitish’s JD(U) – is about to take the centre stage with Samrat Chaudhary as their new CM decide.Finish of an periodAfter the Sampoorn Kranti motion through the Emergency, the socialist ideology seeped deep into the state. JP took many youth leaders underneath his wings, a lot of whom later grew to become the bigwigs of Bihar.Moreover, this was additionally an period of Karpoori Thakur, throughout which a brand new grammar of energy emerged, the place caste was not hidden beneath euphemisms however spoken of as politics of illustration.
The fine-tuning of those ideologies led to the rise of two of the tallest leaders of the state – Lalu and Nitish – who cemented the imaginative and prescient of samajik nyay on which Bihar’s id politics rests.Lalu, the favored chief recognized for jests, dominated for over 15 years. After his decline, Nitish, often called Sushasan Babu, dominated the subsequent 21 years, which got here to an finish on Tuesday.Rise of BJP in BiharNevertheless, Nitish’s exit plan appears to have been made way back. After the Nationwide Democratic Alliance’s overwhelming victory in final 12 months’s meeting elections and the BJP’s extraordinary efficiency, rumours started to swirl that Nitish would possibly step down from the highest job, making means for the BJP in a state that was underneath its management but out of attain.The rumours proved proper when Nitish, on one fateful day, introduced his choice to depart the highest publish in Bihar for a Rajya Sabha seat to fulfil his private want of serving in all 4 legislative our bodies — the Bihar Legislative Meeting, Bihar Legislative Council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.Though many had anticipated this transfer amid hypothesis about his deteriorating well being, Nitish’s sudden announcement nonetheless shocked many who anticipated a smoother transition plan.JD(U) sans NitishNitish Kumar remained the one star of his celebration for many years. Regardless of by no means securing an outright majority by itself, his “Sushasan Babu” picture saved JD(U) on the centre of Bihar politics. Nitish’s choice not solely ends the political lineage of JP Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur but in addition throws his celebration into uncharted waters, with no clear roadmap for the longer term.The celebration didn’t construct a powerful second line of management. Leaders comparable to Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh and Vijay Choudhary are current, however none instructions a mass join akin to Nitish.
Political analysts imagine there’s additionally a chance that JD(U) might merge with its ally BJP within the coming days, although such a transfer might not discover unanimous help throughout the celebration.“There may be additionally a chance that BJP and JD(U) might merge sooner or later, although not everybody in JD(U) will settle for such a merger. A number of leaders might resist it. Some leaders throughout the celebration might transfer to RJD, whereas others might be a part of BJP,” political analyst Kumar Vijay instructed The Occasions of India.“Earlier, JD(U) employees even voted for BJP candidates as a result of they believed Nitish Kumar would finally stay chief minister. However now many hardcore employees might refuse to help BJP sooner or later,” he added.Finish of street for JD(U)The dynamic between JD(U) and BJP shifted within the final meeting elections, the place the BJP emerged because the “elder brother”. Within the 2025 polls, the BJP grew to become the only largest celebration with 89 seats and a 20.45% vote share, whereas JD(U) secured 85 seats with 19.61%.Following the emphatic victory, the BJP started to look much less like a coalition accomplice and extra like a contender for the driving force’s seat. It secured a bigger share within the council of ministers, and Nitish Kumar additionally needed to half with the house portfolio.In keeping with PTI, celebration sources admitted there have been misgivings amongst cadres over the position performed by Sanjay Jha and another shut aides of Nitish in latest developments.“Yesterday, when the chief minister visited the JD(U) workplace in Delhi, many celebration employees insisted that even after he stepped down, the highest publish shouldn’t be given to the BJP. The visuals have been flashed by all media retailers and are, to an extent, reflective of the sentiment prevailing within the celebration right here,” they stated.“In Nishant (Nitish Kumar’s son, who just lately joined the celebration), now we have a younger chief succesful sufficient of getting into his father’s sneakers. We, nonetheless, are additionally conscious that our chief is unlikely to push for his son. However, at the least, we should insist on all the advantages that the BJP is presently having fun with, which embody posts like two deputy CMs, the Speaker of the Meeting, and the essential Residence portfolio,” they added.“The BJP, on its half, has been performing with swagger. Simply take a look at the alacrity with which they nominated Harivansh Narayan Singh to the Rajya Sabha, days after we denied him a 3rd consecutive time period,” JD(U) sources stated.
JD(U) employees have additionally put up posters throughout Patna urging Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant to take up the chief ministerial publish.The posters, put up by “Nitish sevaks”, known as on Nishant Kumar to step into lively politics, describing him as a “youth chief” and urging him to “come out of the shadows”.“We don’t want a bulldozer, nor riots or unrest in Bihar. We’d like a younger jansevak… it’s time for him to come back out of the shadow,” the posters learn.What occurs to Nitish Kumar’s EBC vote financial institution?Over time, Nitish positioned himself as a key chief of the Extraordinarily Backward Courses (EBC), which type a good portion of Bihar’s inhabitants.He consciously constructed this help base by drawing on the legacy of Karpoori Thakur and specializing in economically weaker sections.Together with his exit, questions come up over who will inherit this vote financial institution. In keeping with analyst Kumar Vijay, no single celebration seems well-placed to consolidate the non-Yadav OBC and EBC votes.“If Tejashwi Yadav had sturdy management credentials, that vote financial institution might have shifted to RJD. However the greatest tragedy in Bihar right this moment is the shortage of sturdy political management. Congress doesn’t have it, RJD doesn’t have it both. Regardless of being a politically mature state, Bihar is dealing with a severe management disaster,” Vijay stated.“Upendra Kushwaha has misplaced credibility. Tejashwi Yadav has not emerged as a grassroots chief. LJP too has change into extra of a dramatic political outfit,” he added.For Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s transfer to the Rajya Sabha marks the top of an extended political chapter outlined by his management, shifting alliances and ‘Sushasan’ governance mannequin. Months forward will decide how each JD(U) and the state’s politics evolve past him.
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