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New Delhi, June 21
The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Wednesday stunned the larger Opposition by deciding to break ranks with it to support NDA’s official Presidential nominee and former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind.
At a meeting of the JDU core group in Patna today, Bihar Chief Minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar gave a clear message to his MPs and MLAs to back Kovind, a UP-born Dalit leader.
This despite Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad impressing upon Nitish to stand with the Opposition which is to meet tomorrow in Delhi to decide their next course of action.The move leaves the Congress and Left pretty isolated in the Presidential race strategy with even the SP and BSP likely to excuse themselves, saying they cannot be seen opposing a Dalit. The NCP will open its cards tomorrow.
The DMK too is considering what to do following BJP’s masterstroke in naming Kovind, only the second SC Presidential candidate in India after KR Narayanan.
Nitish Kumar is, meanwhile, learnt to have advised the Congress to support Kovind and not insist on a contest after BJP’s decision.
The Congress is now in a catch-22 situation with the Left pressing it to contest and a section of its own leadership saying it should go with Kovind.
Left parties have, however, made it clear that they want a fight at every cost and are open to a Dalit candidate to oppose Kovind.
The Congress is yet to open its cards with divisions in the party and a section strongly in favour of supporting Kovind.
Azad, who is leading the deliberations on Congress Party’s behalf, is learnt to favour a contest and discussion with like-minded Opposition parties on the way forward.
But with JD-U exiting the Opposition camp, nothing much remains on the table in terms of strategy. An Opposition, which until a week back thought it could put up a massive fight, stands demoralised after the BJP successfully divided their ranks.
Nitish Kumar personally has been known to break ranks with allies in Presidential race. In 2012, the JD-U voted for UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee despite being an NDA ally.
The Congress wasn’t hoping though that history would repeat itself so soon with the non-NDA front now completely cornered in the crucial July 17 election, where numbers are decisively on BJP’s side.
Nitish Kumar’s move today will also trigger talks of whether this is his first step towards ‘ghar wapsi’ to the NDA.
