Bihar BJP leaders to meet in Patna over weekend amid speculations of Nitish Kumar’s turnaround

Several NDA leaders including former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi have indicated an alliance breakdown between JD(U)-RJD.

New Delhi: Amid reports that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said that a meeting of the Bihar BJP leaders is scheduled to take place in Patna over the weekend.

“There is a meeting of Bihar BJP leaders to discuss the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The state executive meeting of Bihar BJP has been called on 27th and 28th January in Patna,” Tawde said while speaking to ANI on Saturday.

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“Bihar state BJP committee, state BJP MLAs and MPs will hold a meeting today to discuss the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

The meeting takes place amid speculations that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may cross over to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) again, an alliance he left in 2022 to join hands with the opposition and form ‘Mahagathbandhan’.

Several NDA leaders including former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi have indicated an alliance breakdown between JD(U)-RJD.

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said that the ruling Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government will not last for long. The HAM president said that by seeing the statements of his former ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he had sensed earlier that there would be a change in the state.

“Recently, I had said that there would be a change in Bihar after January 20 and the basis of this was Nitish Kumar’s statement. He has said many things against RJD…On this basis, we said that the alliance would not work. Their alliance will not last for long. Nitish Kumar’s dream of becoming PM has been shattered… Therefore, after breaking the alliance, he may contest the Lok Sabha elections independently or join the other alliance,” Manjhi said.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday said that the door can be opened if needed, indicating a possible revival of ties between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar -led JDU.

“We are keeping an eye on all the developments and if needed an appropriate decision will be taken. No door is permanently closed in politics and the door can be opened if needed…” Sushil Modi said.

Nitish Kumar, after parting ways with the BJP in 2022, took on the initiative of uniting 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.

It all started when former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya took a swipe at RJD’s ruling ally, JDU, on X posting that while the ‘socialist party’ (JDU) styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns, a statement which triggered cracks within the ruling alliance.

If Nitish crosses over, this would be the fourth time he would be switching sides. 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.