Nitish Kumar: 'Opportunist' or 'Visionary'?

Nitish may not be the ideal politician but his powerful image makes him indispensable for the opposition parties, and his allies

Often hailed as a saviour in Bihar politics, Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar is the face of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020.

Recent surveys suggest dip in Nitish’s popularity level but his powerful image, political analysts believe, still keeps him in the limelight and gives his party the higher ground as compared to Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Born and brought up in Bihar’s Bakhtiarpur, the Chief Minister has served the people of Bihar five times in the role and made a mark because of his visionary attention to basic necessities, which were neglected for at least 60 years in the state.

Nitish’s power-driven personality came to the forefront in 2013 when he left the NDA after Narendra Modi was announced as the PM candidate. However, after registering a landslide victory in the 2015 polls as part of the Mahagathbandhan or the Grand Alliance, which also included RJD and Congress, changing course in 2017 again and returning to the NDA made him the target of severe criticism and ‘betrayal’ calls.

Also read: Bihar polls: Nitish Kumar continues bashing Lalu Yadav

Interestingly, despite the criticism, the JD(U) leader again rejoined hands with the BJP. Another thing that did work out for him was earning the moniker of 'sushasan (good governance) babu' after the 2015 elections. Nitish may not be the ideal politician but his image as the Chief Minister, who pulled Bihar out of Lalu's 'Jungle Raj', makes him indispensable for the opposition parties, and his allies.

Despite JD(U) being in power for 15 years, Bihar still does not fare well on the development index. The concerning issues in the state, opposition parties argue, remain floods, electricity, jobs and the education system.

Nitish’s trajectory, however, is not limited to Bihar politics alone. In 1999, after a little over a year of assuming the chair of Minister of Railways, he resigned following the Gaisal train accident in which 285 passengers were killed and more than 300 died.

Later, he was again appointed as the Minister of Railways in 2002 when he reportedly introduced the tatkal scheme, internet ticket booking facility, and also opened a record number of railway ticket booking counters. He has also served as the Minister for Agriculture and Surface Transport.

As Bihar readies for the three-phased election, Nitish has had his agendas set for the upcoming elections — bashing Lalu Yadav and promising Bihar a place among the frontline states — even as political commentators question his ‘opportunism’.