Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar Chief Minister for 9th time
Patna: Nitish Kumar took oath on Sunday evening as the Bihar Chief Minister, this time with the support of the BJP-led NDA, for the record ninth time after deserting the Opposition bloc INDIA just months ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections.
This is the fifth time the JD (U) chief jumped sides in the course of a decade, earning him the pejorative “Paltu Kumar.”
राजभवन में मुख्यमंत्री एवं मंत्रिपरिषद के सदस्यों का शपथ ग्रहण समारोह ।https://t.co/0bMwcGkUD0
— Raj Bhavan, Bihar (@GovernorBihar) January 28, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new governmnet with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfill the aspirations of its people. I congratulate @NitishKumar. as Chief Minister and Samrat Chaudhary ji and Vijay Sinha ji on taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. I am confident that this team will serve my family members of the state with full dedication," read a rough translation of his post.
बिहार में बनी एनडीए सरकार राज्य के विकास और यहां के लोगों की आकांक्षाओं को पूरा करने के लिए कोई कोर-कसर नहीं छोड़ेगी। @NitishKumar जी को मुख्यमंत्री और सम्राट चौधरी जी एवं विजय सिन्हा जी को उप मुख्यमंत्री पद की शपथ लेने पर मेरी बहुत-बहुत बधाई।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 28, 2024
मुझे विश्वास है कि यह टीम पूरे…
Exasperated with Nitish’s opportunistic attitude, just a year ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the BJP had closed its doors to JDU leader Nitish Kumar, asserting that the NDA would not ally with him in the future.
Amidst political speculation in Bihar, this old video of Amit Shah is going viral on social media. When he said that "BJP's doors are closed forever for you people ("नीतीश कुमार" and Singh)".#NitishKumar | Nitish | Nitish Kumar | #JDU #TejashwiYadav, #BiharPolitics… pic.twitter.com/P9r6hELFUY
— Neha Bisht (@neha_bisht12) January 27, 2024
Until a few months back, Nitish Kumar was a prominent figure in the Opposition's INDIA bloc and played a leading role in uniting various parties to challenge the formidable BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Kumar had been instrumental in convening INDIA meetings, and the Opposition bloc anticipated his commitment to fighting against the BJP until the end. However, his recent change of stance has put the INDIA bloc in an awkward position months before the Lok Sabha polls, lending support to the BJP's argument that the Opposition alliance is inherently unstable.
Nitish Kumar had been unhappy with Congress’s attitude and accused it of assuming a "big brother" role in the alliance and causing delays in the discussions about seat-sharing.
It is needless to say that Nitish switched sides after he realised that his aspiration to lead the INDIA bloc and get an edge over the other parties fell flat. His hopes were dashed after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was picked up to helm the coalition following AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s recommendation.
His rift with RJD had been also widening. According to political observers, Nitish’s decision to leave INDIA was fuelled by a social media attack by RJD leader Lalu Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya, who called him a leader of no principle. She also indirectly targeted Kumar’s son saying he was not suitable for a career in public life.
Nitish Kumar’s once-held image as 'Sushashan Babu,' the development-oriented man, has now been replaced by the perception of 'Paltu Kumar,' the one who frequently switches sides.
The JDU's strength in the Assembly has considerably decreased, dropping from 115 seats in the 2010 Bihar polls to 71 in 2015 and further down to just 43 in 2020.
As a result, his party holds the position of the third-largest force in the Assembly though Kumar is the Chief Minister's chair.
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