JDU smells BJP conspiracy in Bihar 2020 poll

Rumbling has been going on in Bihar NDA for a long time ever since Nitish Kumar became CM after Grand Alliance lost the majority with a low margin. Though Nitish managed to retain the post of CM, it's a bitter truth that he is surviving on the mercy of the BJP in Bihar, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Bhelari.

Patna:In a big political development, JDU today openly accused BJP of hatching the conspiracy in the 2020 Bihar assembly election. There has been talk in state politics that all is not well in NDA and now the shocking revelation by senior JDU leaders has put the BJP in the dock.

JDU parliamentary board committee chairman Upendra Kushwaha who is on the Bihar Yatra taking feedback at the grassroots level issued the statement in Rohtas district.

Kushwaha made the scathing attack on BJP and said, “If the opposition hatches the conspiracy, there is no problem. It is fair in politics and they are free to do such things. However, the group in which JDU is presently part of and if they hatch a conspiracy to defeat the allies candidates then it's not good. I must say that a conspiracy was hatched in this election (read 2020 assembly election). Now we have to give a befitting reply to such a conspiracy.”

This is for the first time, a senior JDU leader has accepted that its own partner hatched the conspiracy. The statement of Kushwaha also justified the claim of Chirag Paswan.

Few days back, the Jamui Lok Sabha member had defended his decision of Bihar election claiming that BJP was kept in the loop and strategy was well discussed with them.

LJP had played a pivotal role in the defeat of JDU candidates. During the Bihar election, there was talk that Chirag had fielded his candidates against JDU on the instruction of BJP so that the saffron party could downsize Nitish. Looking at the results of the Bihar election, it was proved that BJP had been successful in their plan.

It means it was a conspiracy by the BJP to ensure the defeat of JDU candidates which resulted in the party coming down to 43 seats in the Bihar assembly. In fact, during the JDU meeting on July 18, a senior leader of the party and minister in Nitish's cabinet had stated something similar.

Education department minister Vijay Kumar Choudhry who is also very close to Nitish had said that the poor and unexpected result for JDU in 2020 was not because people of Bihar did not vote for Nitish but the reason was conspiracy.

Choudhary had not openly said this but today Kushwaha has brought it in the public domain that it was the BJP who hatched the conspiracy. However, he did not name any saffron leaders.

Rumbling has been going on in Bihar NDA for a long time ever since Nitish Kumar has become CM of Bihar after Grand Alliance lost the majority with a low margin. Though Nitish managed to retain the post of CM, it's a bitter truth that he is surviving on the mercy of the BJP in Bihar.

At present Nitish has become so weak that he cannot dictate his terms and condition to the BJP and that's the reason Nitish had to accept the old offer of one berth in the cabinet of PM Narendra Modi.

JDU is not able to digest the fact that they are 28 seats less this time as they had managed to win 71 seats in the 2015 assembly election. The number makes JDU a third number party in Bihar after BJP as RJD had emerged as the single largest party with 75 members in the assembly.