Pataliputra’s paltiputra — Nitish Kumar’s chameleon-like skills have made him a deserving candidate for such epithets — has done it again: jumped the fence and landed back in the embrace of the National Democratic Alliance. He has become the Bihar chief minister for the ninth time after his fifth somersault in a decade, with the Bharatiya Janata Party willing to prop him up, once again. This despite Amit Shah’s ‘firm’ statement that the NDA’s doors had been shut for Mr Kumar. Mr Kumar, on his part, had said he would prefer to die than return to the BJP. During his stints with the Bihar Mahagathbandhan, Mr Kumar made several antagonistic noises against the BJP. Pledges, unlike prudence, matter little in politics; but Mr Kumar’s latest change of electoral spots may not be an example of sound political wisdom. There are whispers that Mr Kumar’s thwarted ambitions within the Opposition’s INDIA bloc prompted his change in heart but it is the BJP, not Mr Kumar or his Janata Dal (United), which is likely to gain the most out of the bargain. With Mr Kumar — his wings clipped further — along with Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan in its bag, the BJP — the master of many a political orchestra — would be hoping to stitch up a rainbow caste alliance and dominate Bihar’s electoral outcome in the Lok Sabha polls. Ironically, with Mr Kumar’s chief ministership now completely dependent on the BJP’s whims, the elbow room that Mr Kumar could have managed in INDIA would elude him in the NDA, reducing his political clout further. Mr Kumar’s opportunism has already had a deleterious effect on his party that was reduced to the third force in Bihar in the last assembly polls. It is possible that the JD(U)’s political footprint would get lighter in Bihar — he could even bespatter the NDA’s performance.

INDIA, undoubtedly, has received a blow with Mr Kumar’s exit, especially in the war on perception. But adversity often presents a window of opportunity. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, the party that won the highest number of seats in 2020, now free of the burden called Mr Kumar, could lead the charge in Bihar on behalf of the Opposition, attempting to widen its reach beyond the Yadav-Muslim vote banks. Mamata Banerjee, who was circumspect about Mr Kumar’s commitment to INDIA, may not be too disappointed either: she now has an opportunity to bargain for a bigger role within the alliance which, after Mr Kumar’s antics, would want to close ranks. That is the need of the hour.