Anxious not to rock the boat of his government, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today declared that his party, the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], will continue to stay on in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and will not join the Third Front.
“There is no question of any tie-up with the Congress ...As far as the JD(U) is concerned, we do not think of either the Third Front or any other option. We have only one option ...We are with the NDA,” Kumar told reporters.
“If people vote NDA to power, a government led by Advaniji will be formed. If this does not happen, we will respect the people’s verdict,” he added.
In the last Assembly elections in Bihar in 2005, out of the 243 seats in the Assembly, the JD(U) won 88 seats and the BJP 55, enabling them to form a government with a comfortable majority, well beyond the simple majority mark. If the BJP pulls out, it will become a minority government.
Seeking the Congress help will not help Kumar because the Congress has just 9 MLAs. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has 54 MLAs but an alliance with it is not feasible for Kumar. So the JD(U) will have to continue in the BJP-led NDA, whether it likes it or not.
Asked to comment on the alliance of the RJD with the Samajwadi Party and the Lok Janashakti party, Kumar said, “They keep on fighting and then again coming together.”