In silence on RCP Singh’s RS seat, Nitish looks to set tone for the BJP
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
NEW DELHI:
People close to the CM said the delay in naming Singh as the nominee has reiterated the edgy ties between the allies. While Singh said there is no souring of ties, two of his party colleagues said the CM did not approve of Singh in the Union cabinet.
“After the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Singh was deputed by the party to hold talks with the BJP on the issue of ministerial berths for the JD(U). While the party had not nominated anyone for the Cabinet in 2014, it signaled in 2019 that unlike the other allies (LJP and RPI) who were happy with the single berth offered to them, it wanted proportional representation (taking into account the LS members) in the Cabinet. However, the talks ended with Singh being picked for a ministerial position. Subsequently, the party started feeling he seemed closer to the BJP,” added the JD(U) leader.
If Singh is not nominated, as per rules, he may have to step down as minister. “The BJP now faces a predicament — should it allow Singh to quit or send him from its own quota, in which case, it runs the risk of rubbing CM the wrong way,” said a BJP leader in Delhi.
The absence of leaders who can act as a bridge between the two parties has also been underlined as a reason for differences being exacerbated.
“It is important for the BJP to have JD(U) on its side. It will need the party’s help to elicit support from the OBC vote bank as it faces a coalition of opposition parties in 2024, and even in Bihar (in 2025) it is not assured of a majority if it goes it alone,” said the BJP leader.