Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar appears to be trying to emerge as the face of a possible “third front” ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to “delink” his outfit from the “communal” BJP.
With the third front in virtual disarray, Mr Kumar scents an opportunity to lead a possible alternative before the next Lok Sabha polls. It is speculated he might already have sent feelers to the Left.
Seeing the BJP in a leadership crisis and unable to free itself of RSS influence, Mr Kumar is being counselled by associates to move away from the NDA and to cultivate a “secular image”. With so-called “third front” leaders like Prakash Karat and Mulayam Singh Yadav discredited, there is room at the top.
If the CPI(M) loses next year’s West Bengal Assembly polls, Mr Karat’s credibility will sink further and he might even be edged out as general secretary. On the other hand, parties like the TDP, JD(S) and BSP might feel comfortable with Mr Kumar at the helm, sources said. Much will, of course, depend on the outcome of the Bihar Assembly polls later this year.