New Delhi: Political manoeuvres in Maharashtra, where BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis replaced Eknath Shinde as chief minister, have triggered ripples in Bihar, raising concerns within the JD(U) over the BJP’s future strategies. As Bihar gears up for assembly elections in second half of 2025, speculations are rife about whether the BJP might attempt a “Maharashtra experiment” if it edges closer to a majority in the 243-seat Bihar assembly.
According to a Times of India report, while BJP has assured that it will contest the polls under chief minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership, JD(U) functionaries remain sceptical. Many fear a repeat of Maharashtra, where Shinde, despite leading the NDA campaign, was sidelined in favour of Fadnavis.
JD(U) on guard
A senior JD(U) leader, while talking to TOI, recalled Nitish’s reluctance to take on the CM role after the 2020 elections, where JD(U) won only 43 seats compared to BJP’s 74. “Nitish Kumar initially refused to continue as CM, citing his party’s poor performance, but BJP leaders convinced him to stay,” the leader said.
JD(U) members believe the situation in Bihar differs significantly from Maharashtra. Nitish, with a stronger social base and a proven 16.5% voter support in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, remains a major factor in the NDA’s electoral success.
Party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar stated, “You may love Nitish Kumar or hate him, but you cannot ignore him. Both NDA and the INDIA blocs recognise his political strength.”
‘A marriage of convenience’
Political analysts have also downplayed BJP’s ability to sideline Nitish in Bihar. BJP in the state has failed to develop a pan state face to replace Nitish. Not only BJP, even opposition has failed to win the state when Nitish was with BJP. Also, while Shinde lacked influence in Maharashtra, Nitish is a pivotal figure in Bihar politics.
Also, Nitish Kumar ditched BJP after the developments in Maharashtra in 2022, when Eknath Shinde rebelled against party chief Uddhav Thackeray allegedly with the help of BJP. According to reports, Nitish at that time feared that R C P Singh was being used by the saffron party to engineer defections in JD(U). While, Singh was expelled from the party and JD(U) broke its alliance with BJP for the second time in the state. Nitish returned to NDA just before the Lok Sabha elections.
JD(U) with 12 MPs in Lok Sabha is crucial for BJP and its government at the Centre. The party can ill afford to lose JD(U). However, mutual distrust persists among the parties and analysists have also called the BJP-JD(U) alliance as a “marriage of convenience”.
