Leaders of Congress and other alliance members in the state are inclined towards conceding the post to keep Bihar CM happy. “Even then, it does not mean that he is the PM nominee,” says a leader.
As the INDIA alliance of Opposition parties moves towards seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha elections, it could appoint Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its national convener at a virtual meeting on Wednesday. There is also talk among INDIA leaders in Bihar of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge being appointed the alliance’s president or chairperson.
Sources in Nitish’s party Janata Dal (United), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Left parties in Bihar told The Indian Express that the Congress was now inclined towards conceding the national convener position to the JD(U) to keep the Bihar CM happy. “At a time when Rahul Gandhi is embarking on an important yatra, we want to keep the momentum going. If Nitish Kumar crosses over to the BJP-led NDA, the effort to unite the Opposition will fizzle out. Most of the INDIA bloc members seem to share this concern. The Congress, anyway, will maintain its primacy as the leading party in the alliance by keeping the position of national president or chairperson with Kharge,” said a Congress leader.
The RJD initially was not keen on Nitish getting the position of INDIA block convener but has now thrown its weight behind the idea, as the Bihar CM focusing more on national politics serves its interests in the state. A party leader said, “The RJD has been under pressure from Nitish for a while from the JD(U) camp to agree to the idea of simultaneous polls. Nitish is trying to impress upon the RJD that Mahagathbandhan can not only win the Lok Sabha elections handsomely but also bring down the BJP’s tally of 78 seats to below 50 seats if the Assembly elections are held simultaneously. The party, which has 79 seats, is not convinced and believes if Nitish is made the INDIA bloc convener, he will give up this idea and focus more on national politics.”
Congress leaders in Bihar said the Opposition alliance should focus on Karnataka, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Odisha that have 179 Lok Sabha seats in total and where it stands a chance of winning the most seats. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the ruling party in Odisha, has mostly gone with the BJP in Parliament.
“Nitish Kumar, along with Lalu Prasad, Congress and the Left, is in a position to win 25-30 seats. Since Nitish was the prime mover behind Opposition unity, he has to be given due importance. Even if he is made convener, it does not mean that he is the PM nominee. It is more about respecting the efforts he has made for Opposition unity,” said a source in the INDIA alliance.
The JD(U), however, officially remained tightlipped about the likelihood of Nitish being appointed the alliance’s convener. The party’s chief national spokesperson, K C Tyagi, told The Indian Express, “Though we have not heard anything from the Congress, we will welcome any such move. While Kharge’s elevation will be a good card to play since he is Dalit, making Nitish Kumar the convener is a good idea since he has played a key role in bringing parties with various hues and shapes on the same platform.”
Asked how the JD(U) got the Congress and others to agree to making Nitish convener, a party leader who did not wish to be named said, “It is only about respect, going to polls with the right frame of mind, and activating our cadre. We are anyway fighting elections under cumulative leadership.”
