Turbulent start bjp’s expansionist zeal is hurting allies but twice wounded jd u has limited options in bihar

Turbulent start bjp’s expansionist zeal is hurting allies but twice wounded jd u has limited options in bihar

Ally trouble returned to NDA with reverberations from the defection of six Arunachal Pradesh JD(U) MLAs to BJP being felt in distant Bihar. JD(U) has flagged coalition dharma: Newly elected JD(U) president RCP Singh claimed his party “is honest with allies and doesn’t hatch conspiracies”. Given Arunachal’s history of fluid political loyalties where even old parties like Congress and People’s Party of Arunachal suffered en masse defections to BJP, a loose knit outfit like JD(U) stood little chance either. So its vexation may have more to do with Bihar.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s poll losses have made BJP the big brother in the Bihar NDA. Many in JD(U) suspect that Chirag Paswan functioned as a proxy to facilitate this outcome. Nitish’s appointment of RCP Singh as national president is a rarity in supremo-led parties. On paper, this makes Singh Nitish’s boss. Nitish’s difficulties managing coalition niggles and Singh’s cordial ties with BJP may have forced the decision. Moreover, Nitish could also be firming up a line of succession to counter perceptions of JD(U) implosion after him.

Meanwhile, RJD, still smarting from a narrow defeat, has spied a chance to drive a wedge in the BJP-JD(U) relationship. JD(U)’s options, however, are limited: Tejashwi Yadav is unlikely to yield the CM post to Nitish this time. This could have driven BJP’s calculations while admitting the Arunachal JD(U) legislators into its fold. Sensing the JD(U) unease, BJP’s Sushil Modi has reaffirmed that Nitish will be the NDA CM for a full term. After Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, BJP cannot afford to lose JD(U). Another ally AIADMK is keeping its distance too. With Left and other peasant unions attempting protests in Patna against the farm reforms, any disarray in NDA could prove costly.