What Forced Nitish Kumar to Return to NDA? 3 Possible Reasons

He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan. Along with Kumar, BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary took oath as ministers in the Kumar-led government. Kumar had earlier in the day resigned as the chief minister, saying “things were not working well” for him in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and in the opposition bloc INDI, and staked claim to form a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.

While speculations hinted at Nitish Kumar realigning with the BJP amid increasing tensions between his party, Janata Dal (United), and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), three compelling reasons have emerged, prompting Nitish to make a strategic shift.

What Forced Nitish Kumar to Make 4th Political ‘Palti’?

Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur: The news of the Janata Dal (United) boss making a fifth U-turn, navigating between the BJP, Congress, and/or Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal since 2013, has ignited speculation about the reasons behind this latest shift. One prominent factor at the forefront of discussions is the BJP’s recent decision to posthumously honour former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

Insult by Congress: The January 13 meeting of the INDIA alliance was the turning point.In that meeting, CPM Leader Sitaram Yechury proposed Nitish’s name as the Convenor, a suggestion that received support, from leaders like Lalu Yadav and Sharad Pawar. However, Rahul Gandhi intervened, deferring the decision due to Mamata Banerjee’s reservations about Nitish Kumar taking on the role. Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar’s Deputy pointed out Mamata Banerjee’s absence from the meeting and argued that the majority was in favor of Nitish Kumar, suggesting that her approval should not be a decisive factor.

‘If you can’t beat Modi, join him’: As Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge did not overrule Rahul Gandhi during this exchange, he began to feel that his aim of overthrowing Modi was becoming increasingly unattainable, said sources. At that point, he seemingly adopted the mindset of “if you can’t beat him, join him,” leading to his decision to align with the prevailing political forces.

‘JD(U) will be ‘finished’ by 2024′

Meanwhile, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav hit out at Nitish, saying that the JD(U) will be ‘finished’ by 2024 as it will cease to exist as a political party. Speaking to ANI, Yadav also hinted at more political developments in the state and said that ‘the game is yet to begin’.

Calling Nitish Kumar a ‘tired CM’, Yadav said, “Khel abhi shuru hua hai, khel abhi baki hain. What I say, I do…I can give you in writing that the JDU party will be finished in 2024. The public is with us…” Yadav, however, said that Nitish Kumar is and will be ‘respectable’.

“I want to thank the BJP that it got ready to induct his party (JDU) in their alliance,” he added.

He also credited the grand alliance rule for the development of the state in the last 17 months. “Why should we not take credit for the work we have done? … The CM who used to say that it is impossible to give jobs, we gave jobs and showed that it is possible. We brought new policies in tourism, IT, and sports. The work that was done in 17 months could not be done in 17 years (of BJP-JDU rule). We did historic work in the 17 months…” Yadav added