Amid the possibility of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar making yet another switch to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJP has called its state executive meeting tomorrow and the day after, the sources said.
The meeting is likely to be held on January 27 and 28.
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According to the sources, the party’s Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde will go to Patna tomorrow.
If reports are to be believed, the stage seems to be set for Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar to return to the BJP-led NDA again.
If Nitish switches sides, this will mark the fourth time in just over a decade that he would do it.
Nitish’s shift would deal a severe blow to the ruling Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar as well as the Opposition INDIA bloc at the national level that was formed to take on the BJP-led Centre in 2024 Lok Sabha Polls.
Notably, Nitish Kumar, after parting ways with the BJP in 2022, took on the initiative of coralling all opposition forces to jointly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party in the national election.
He hosted the first meeting of opposition parties in Patna, and it was widely believed that he would eventually be the coalition’s Convenor.
However, in a curt response to media queries, RJD MP Manoj Jha said the Bihar chief minister must “clear the confusion” by evening.
Manoj Jha also said the RJD is willing to continue the alliance and that it never played such games.
“We can only request Nitish Kumar to clear the confusion by evening. This confusion about the alliance, which is affecting the normal lives of people… from our side it is very clear. So this confusion emanating from media reports is also confusing us. You will not see any comments from our side. So I will request, he clears the confusion and ‘idhar-udhar’. The chief minister will also be watching media reports. RJD never did this khela (game),” he said.
In the Bihar Assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs; followed by the BJP’s 78; the JD(U)’s 45′ the Congress’s 19, the CPI (M-L)’s 12, two each of the CPI(M) and CPI, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)’s four seats, and the AIMIM’s one, plus one Independent legislator.