Bihar Polls: Is There A BJP-LJP Deal to Outsmart Nitish Kumar?

With Bihar Assembly elections only weeks away, the political developments in the state are headed towards an unexpected spin.

While Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party have finally reached a seat-sharing agreement, with the JD(U) contesting 122 seats and the BJP 121, it is the LJP-BJP-JD(U)'s political dynamic that's been rather puzzling.

A former NDA ally, the LJP or the Lok Janshakti Party, led by Chirag Paswan, will fight the elections solo. It has withdrawn its support from the NDA alliance, however, it will not field candidates on those seats being contested by the BJP in the BJP-JD(U) seat-sharing arrangement.

Not only this, Paswan has gone to the extent of appealing to voters in Bihar to not cast a single vote for the JD(U) – adding that the state should have a BJP-led government.

Interestingly, the BJP not only scrambled to reiterate their support for Nitish Kumar more than once, in a seemingly tacit response to the LJP, they also publicly declared, "Only those who accept Nitish Kumar's leadership in Bihar will stay in the NDA."

What do we make of this complex relation between the trio? What kind of impact is the LJP's move likely to have on the NDA and Kumar's chances as he seeks re-election for the fourth term?

Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha Guests: Aditya Menon, Political Editor, The Quint Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Senior Journalist

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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