Nitish Kumar To Stay Chief Minister, 2 Deputies From BJP Likely: Sources

Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for a seventh time on Sunday with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party, his on-again-off-again ally, sources told NDTV Friday afternoon as (yet another) churn in the state's political landscape spins to a frenzied conclusion. For its backing, the BJP will get two Deputy Chief Minister berths, which mirrors the arrangement after the 2020 election.

An Assembly election will not be held at this time, sources also said. Bihar is due to vote next year so it is understandable that neither party is in a rush. The immediate focus will be on the Lok Sabha election.

Sources said the Janata Dal (United) boss has cancelled all his engagements for January 28, sparking buzz he is set to reclaim his 'paltu Kumar' nickname by reversing his 2022 jump from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP to Lalu Yadav's RJD, which itself was a reprisal of his 2017 shuffle of loyalties.

Nitish was scheduled to address a public meeting on Sunday, on the occasion of Maharana Jayanti.

NDTV has been told Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will follow a detailed game-plan that will begin with the nomination of an Assembly Speaker and include re-shuffling of the cabinet - one ministerial berth for every four MLAs - to accommodate BJP leaders.

Crucially, the terms of Nitish's ghar wapsi are said to include a reduction in Lok Sabha seats offered to the JDU. In 2019 the party contested 17 and won 16 seats, but will have to be satisfied with 12-15 seats this time, given the JDU's compromised position and the need to accommodate other NDA partners.

Nitish's BJP re-alignment, though not yet confirmed, gained further currency after his former deputy (and close aide), Sushil Kumar Modi's "in politics, doors are not permanently closed" comment.

"Politics is a game of possibilities, anything can happen," Mr Modi, who was replaced by Tarkishore Yadav and Renu Devi after the 2020 election, said. Now a Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Modi has been a frequent critic of Nitish Kumar since an apparent breakdown in ties, making his 'open doors' remark significant.

The BJP ghar wapsi has triggered mixed reactions from Bihar's political players and, according to a second set of sources, a divide within Nitish Kumar's party. Lalan Singh, deposed as the JDU boss by Nitish last month, is understood to be against dropping the RJD as an ally, while a group led by Sanjay Jha, Ashok Choudhary, and Vijay Choudhary, are pushing for a tie-up with the BJP.

Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his Hindustan Awam Morcha - for now a JDU ally and part of the state government - are also being courted, with junior Union Home Minister Nityanand Rai reportedly tasked with getting that deal done. Mr Manjhi has been cryptic so far, only saying he had predicted Nitish Kumar's jump and that the JDU leader's "dream of being PM had been shattered".

"Therefore, after breaking the alliance, he may contest the Lok Sabha elections independently or join the other alliance..." he said.

Nitish set the cat among the pigeons Thursday - first snubbing an invitation to join Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', and then leaving the Congress-led INDIA bloc on edge by reaching out to the BJP. By the end of the day, the Bihar Chief Minister - credited with coaxing the opposition into the unlikely alliance - was closer to re-aligning with the BJP than realising his dream of ousting Mr Modi.

Should, as is now most likely, Nitish Kumar re-align with the BJP, there were several factors that would have led to his political fifth flip-flop in 11 years - one that could reshape the state's political landscape in the BJP's favour. Among these are friction with the RJD and discord within the INDIA group.