Nitish Kumar’s ‘khela’ is over By Justice Katju

Nitish Kumar has been the Chief Minister of Bihar from 2005-2014, and then again from 2015 till today. However after the forthcoming Bihar state elections scheduled for November ( voting on the 6th and 11th, and the results to be declared on the 14th ) his ‘khela’ is likely to be over, as explained in my articles below :

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The next Chief Minister of Bihar By Justice Katju

The Mahagathbandhan Manifesto By Justice Katju

There is an Urdu sher :

” Jeewan ka safar hai toolaani

Yaan ikraani hai naadaani

Jo shahsawar maahir hain

Woh raah badalte rehte hain ”

i.e.

” Life’s journey is long

Being consistent in it is immaturity

The expert horse riders

Can changing their routes ”

It seems that Nitish Kumar had read and memorized the above Urdu verses early in life, and made them his credo when he joined politics. Because of this he has been shamelessly and regularly oscillating like a trapeze artist, swinging from one end of a circus to another, allying with one party, and later breaking the alliance and allying with another, ( so as to remain the Chief Minister ) throughout much of his political career ( because of which he has come to be known as ‘Paltu Ram’ ).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitish_Kumar

He has mastered the art of sniffing the scent of the political wind, and calculating the direction in which it was shifting, like the crafty French politician Adolphe Thiers.

Carefully estimating which way the political wind is blowing and shifting, like a weather vane, he executes a somersault, and jumps over to the other side at exactly the correct time, so that he remains the CM of Bihar.

Nitish, like many other Indian politicians, has no principles ( unless hanging on to the Chief Minister’s chair, by doing whatever shameless jugglery and aerobatics is possible, can be regarded as a principle )

But this time he is likely to meet his Waterloo ( for the reasons given in my articles above ).

The NDA has finally announced the seat-sharing arrangement for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, demoting Nitish Kumar from his role as the big brother in the NDA, and presenting him as an equal to the BJP. Nitish Kumar’s JDU no longer plays a dominant role in the state. Signs of this were already visible in last year’s Lok Sabha elections, when the JDU was given 16 seats compared to the BJP’s 17 in Bihar.

The formula devised by the NDA could symbolize a new political balance in the state. This division clearly indicates two alliances: 101 seats each for the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s party, 29 for Chirag Paswan, and six seats each for Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM. This formula, indicates that the BJP has made it clear that it is no longer willing to play second fiddle to Nitish Kumar’s JDU, but is determined to maintain at least a balance of power for the time being.

In another major signal, by allocating 29 seats to Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan, the BJP has signaled that it no longer wants to be reliant on Nitish Kumar in Bihar politics. In the last assembly elections, Chirag Paswan’s LJP spoiled Nitish Kumar’s game, causing heavy losses for his party, the JDU, diminishing his dominance in Bihar politics.

Paswan’s large seat share is being seen as the BJP’s next step. Keeping his political ambitions in mind, the BJP has sent an important political message that it now wants to promote him as a Dalit face and a future ally of the BJP.

Meanwhile, the political battle for the 2025 Bihar elections has intensified. Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP while releasing his manifesto in Patna on Tuesday. He said that the BJP is now using Nitish Kumar as a mere ‘putla’ ( puppet ). Tejashwi Yadav said, “I sympathize with CM Nitish, but the BJP and some corrupt officials have reduced him to a putla. Someone else is making the decisions of the Bihar government.”

While Nitish Kumar wanted to be declared as the NDA’s Chief Minister candidate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, when questioned by journalists about this, said that it was for the elected MLAs to decide this. This has naturally made Nitish Kumar upset.

During his five recent visits to Bihar, the Prime Minister deliberately avoided naming Nitish as the CM face. No doubt the slogan “Nitish again from 25 to 30” is being used by some in the NDA camp, but this is only due to Nitish’s hold on a section of the backward vote bank, which plays a decisive role in Bihar politics, and so the BJP wants to keep Nitish with them until the elections. But once the elections are over it is likely that they will sideline him, as his utility will be over.

The Mahagathbandhan’s manifesto, “Bihar Ka Tejaswi Pran,” has put the NDA on the defensive by promising a government job to one member of every family. Several major promises in “Tejaswi Pran” for youth, farmers, women, and minorities have exacerbated the NDA’s difficulties. By promising not to allow the Waqf Amendment Act to be implemented in Bihar, Tejashwi has sought to secure the support of the state’s 17-18 percent Muslims ( though they will vote for the Mahagathbandhan even otherwise, as they regard the BJP as their main enemy ).

Nitish is nearing 75 years of age ( which he will be on 1st March 2026 ), the age of sanyaas, when the Hindu scriptures require a person to give up all worldly attachments and attractions, and retire to the Himalayas for meditation. Nitish should start planning accordingly