Why a revival of Mandal politics at the national level is unlikely

Politics is indeed the art of the possible. In the Indian political context, this means that anything can happen when leaders are looking to gain or retain political power.

- BADRI NARAYAN

Last month, JD(U) leader and chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar broke up with the BJP and entered a new alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Since then, he has met various leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, and K Chandrashekar Rao in what is being seen as a bid to forge opposition unity.

Nitish’s moves and his decision to return to the Mahagathbandhan have evoked a range of reactions. One group of observers perceived the coming together of RJD and JD(U) as a revival of Mandal politics against the BJP; another lot saw him emerging as a uniting force, giving opposition politics a new life; yet others went as far as predicting that he would emerge as an alternative to PM Narendra Modi though he himself has denied any prime ministerial ambitions; while the fourth bunch saw it as an example of his extreme political pragmatism and his desire to survive a force like the BJP rather than an attempt to revive the Mandal platform.