Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not want to be the next CM of the State. Mr. Kushwaha also reiterated that he would be in the National Democratic Alliance and was ready for any sacrifice for the coalition.
“Nitish Kumar doesn’t want to be the next Chief Minister of Bihar. He personally told me that how long will he hold on to the post. He wants to quit,” Mr. Kushwaha said while addressing a programme to celebrate the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, organised by the youth wing of RLSP at Patna’s Rabindra Bhawan. The Union Minister said the Chief Minister was like his elder brother and claimed that “nobody knows Nitish Kumar from a closer quarter than me”.
Mr. Kushwaha's statement, according to political analysts, was indicative of his future plans. They said the RLSP chief was a "highly ambitious man who has always had a dream to become the Chief Minister of the State". By giving statements that Mr. Kumar does not want to be the next Chief Minister, Mr. Kushwaha may be staking his claim to the post for the next Assembly polls, they added. Bihar Assembly elections are due in November 2020.
Seat-sharing issues
On seat sharing among NDA partners, Mr. Kushwaha reiterated that nothing has been finalised yet. However, sources in the State BJP said that the party had categorically told the RLSP chief to “either contest from two Lok Sabha seats or leave the NDA”. Mr. Kushwaha has also been in touch with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav but party sources said that the latter is not willing to offer him more than four seats while the RLSP wants six seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
“The RJD this time has to distribute seats among Congress, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM(S), rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, rebel BJP leaders Shatrughan Sinha, Kirti Jha Azad and the Left parties. We have very little scope to spare more seats for other parties," said a senior RJD leader, adding that Mr. Kushwaha "was still welcome to our fold”.
“Mr Kushwaha must be caught in a very difficult situation now. So he could be exploring his options to become the Chief Minister of Bihar in 2020,” said political analyst Ajay Kumar.
