NEW DELHI: ‘This time, nothing is well in NDA … ’ Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who has been a key partner of the ruling Bihar alliance, has sent out clear signals of discontent within the NDA. The RLP leader, reports say quoting sources, is unhappy over Mahua assembly seat in Vaishali district being given to Chirag Paswan.Kushwaha is not alone in raising the banner of revolt. Another key NDA partner, Union minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi has also made it clear that he will field his party (HAM) candidates from at least two seats – Bodh Gaya and Makhdumpur assembly constituencies.Both the allies, who have got 6 seats each under the division, are upset over the relatively larger number of seats – 29 – allotted to Paswan’s LJP(Ram Vilas). This despite the fact that Chirag Paswan’s performance in the last assembly elections was anything but inspiring. In 2020, the party had walked out of the NDA and contested on all 243 seats, but could win only one seat. However, what it did manage to do was damage Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and make it a junior partner of the BJP in Bihar assembly. Chirag was perhaps rewarded by the BJP for this role when he was taken back into the NDA fold ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and given five parliamentary seats – all of which the party won. That 100% strike rate perhaps could be the justification for giving the fledgling party 29 seats- way more than the other two allies.Political experts say Chirag Paswan remains part of BJP’s gameplan post elections once again. In 2020, he helped BJP by staying out of NDA. This time around, he could play a key role in ensuring that Nitish Kumar does not become the chief minister if NDA wins the elections.“The actual seat division in NDA is 130 for BJP and 113 for Nitish Kumar,” says political analyst Kumar Vijay. “The BJP has given 29 seats to Chirag Pawan so that in post-election scenario the numbers won by LJP can be used to sideline Nitish Kumar’s claims to the top post if NDA wins the elections,” he says.“Instead of giving so many seats to Chirag, the BJP should have tried to make all the allies, including Nitish Kumar, happy ahead of the elections. Post elections, after winning the required seats, it could have asserted and staked claim to the top post,” Kumar says. “In Bihar BJP, non-political persons are taking political decisions. Small people have been given big responsibilities and hence they have mismanaged everything,” the political analyst adds.The BJP has already initiated fire-fighting process. Upendra Kushwaha has been summoned to Delhi to meet Amit Shah. But the bigger worry for the BJP would be Nitish Kumar. Reports say Nitish Kumar is unhappy with the way things have turned out. Already several senior JD(U) leaders have raised a banner of revolt. From open resignation letters to dharna, Nitish is under pressure from within to salvage the situation for his party. There are two camps within the JD(U) – one that favours close association with the BJP and the other that is opposing party’s alleged subjugation. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the next few days, especially how the Bihar chief minister reacts to BJP’s “Chirag plan.”
