Nitish Kumar’s Split From INDIA Bloc Dampens Opposition’s Caste Pitch, Revamps ‘Hindutva’ Tone
Nitish Kumar's return to the NDA just before the Lok Sabha elections has significant implications for the BJP. As the mastermind behind Bihar's caste survey, he provided the blueprint for the Opposition's caste census call and social justice pitch against the BJP in 2024. Nitish also chaired the first meeting of the Opposition (INDIA) bloc in Patna in June 2023. This move not only gives the NDA a possible bump in Bihar's tally but also challenges the Opposition's strategy of countering Hindutva with social justice. This strategy has been the political commonsense of the Opposition since the early 1990s when an alliance of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati prevented the BJP from coming to power in 1993 in UP. Nitish's crossing comes soon after Karpoori Thakur was awarded the Bharat Ratna,...
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