Bihar’s political chess game matches BJP’s Maha gambit

Mumbai: Bihar’s political power game mirrors the identical reversal of the political scenario in Maharashtra. Nitish Kumar (43 MLAs) has claimed majority in alliance with RJD (79 MLAs) and Congress (17 MLAs) and intends to form a government that will last the rest of the tenure till 2025 when assembly polls are due. The Eknath Shinde led government in alliance with BJP similarly intends to continue for another two years, till polls though Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray has dared them to face voters right now.

In one situation the BJP cannot pull down the new dispensation in Bihar till 2025, while in Maharashtra it won’t be pulled down till 2024 (other political dynamics things remain constant (U) MLAs for some time. Two days ago, when Singh held a function, 30 MLAs from JD(U) attended it, prompting Nitish to take it on and follow it up with suitable political action, to retain power. The BJP, for its part, maintained that it wanted Nitish to leave the alliance as it had committed to Kumar leading the state as CM till 2025. Now BJP is smarting from the wily CM’s political moves that has put it out of power and will bide its time to return better MLA numbers at the next polls.

The same thing was done to the BJP in Maharashtra after the 2019 assembly elections when the Shiv Sena led MVA government (in alliance with NCP and Congress) came to power. This political favour was returned with interest by BJP that broke off 400 Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde with 10 independents in tow to form government in Maharashtra now. Now the BJP seeks to return Kumar’s political favour by encouraging a vertical split within the JD(U) and the Congress in Bihar as it did in Maharashtra by spiriting away enough MLAs from the soon to be formed government that excludes them. In Maharashtra Sena hopes for the SC to overturn the rebel Sena CM Eknath Shinde led government’s applecart soon enough. Maharashtra and Bihar are definitely a study on political fortunes making a to and fro movement, almost like a musical chairs gamesmanship of power.