NITISH: AN ALLY AND A REBEL

BIHAR

- Amitabh Srivastava

On reaching Patna on August 6, the new Janata Dal (United) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh a.k.a. ‘Lalan Singh’ made an exhortative pitch to party workers: “Ek number party tab banegi jab 2010 ka jo hamara mapdand hai usko paar kar­ enge (We will become the No. 1 party only when we cross our 2010 numbers).” Lalan was talking about the 2010 assembly election, when the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) had put up its best performance, winning 115 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly. The JD(U) government also completed its term even though it snapped ties with alliance partner BJP in 2013 (ironically over Narendra Modi’s nomination as the prime ministerial candidate).

The JD(U) joined hands with the BJP again in 2017 (after splitting with the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD), but after the 2020 assembly election, which the two fought together, Nitish’s party is now the junior partner, with just 43 seats to the BJP’s 74. Political observers believe when Lalan commented on regaining the “2010 status”, he was echoing what was on chief minister Nitish Kumar’s mind.

The past one month has been eventful for the JD(U), having had to swallow its pride and accept the solitary berth it was allotted in the Union cabinet expansion on July 7. Indeed, no one in the JD(U) top leadership except for cabinet inductee R.C.P. Singh even attended the swearing-in ceremony.