Janata Dal-United (JDU) chief Nitish Kumar took oath for the ninth time as Bihar Chief Minister yesterday, marking a seismic shift in alliances. The once ‘Mahagathbandhan’ architect severed ties with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, forming a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan witnessed the initiation of a revamped team, with key players including Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and others, setting the stage for a political renaissance in Bihar.

At the heart of this transition is Samrat Choudhary, the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister and BJP state President. Mr Choudhary has been a prominent figure in Bihar politics, adorned with a turban that he once vowed to discard only after his party comes to power in the state. The 54-year-old assumed the state BJP chief role in March last year and has a political journey that weaves through multiple parties, including the RJD and the JDU.

Mr Choudhary, an OBC leader from the Koeri community, has previously held positions as Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Health, and Minister of Metrology and Horticulture. 

On the other hand, Vijay Kumar Sinha, 64, belongs to the influential, upper caste Bhumihar community.

Born to a school teacher in Lakhisarai district, Mr Sinha’s political journey began with his involvement in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), during his civil engineering days at a polytechnic in Barauni. 

Mr Sinha’s initiation into electoral politics took place in 2010 when he made his debut in the Bihar Assembly. Seven years later, he was appointed as the Minister of Labour Resources.

In 2020, he became Speaker of the Bihar Assembly. His tenure as the Speaker was marked by instances such as Nitish Kumar’s outburst on the floor of the House and a tense episode where he was held hostage inside his chamber by members of the RJD in 2021.

The deputy chief ministerial duo of Mr Choudhary and Mr Sinha highlights a calculated move by the BJP to balance caste considerations. This strategic pairing aims to appease OBCs while retaining the support of the core upper caste base. 

The broader cabinet comprises leaders like Prem Kumar, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Vijendra Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shravan Kumar, and Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh.

JDU’s Shravan Kumar belongs to the Kurmi community, the same as Nitish Kumar. According to the recent Bihar caste survey, Kurmis constitute 2.8 per cent of the total population.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Bihar today, a day after his party went from being a part of the state’s ruling coalition to the Opposition, thanks to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s fifth flip-flop in a decade.

Mr Gandhi’s yatra, a desperate attempt by the Congress to rally support ahead of Lok Sabha polls, started at Manipur on January 14. After travelling through the Northeast, it reached Bengal on Thursday before Mr Gandhi took a break and flew to Delhi.

When Mr Gandhi boarded the plane to Delhi, the Congress was part of the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar led by Mr Kumar. As he resumes the yatra after a two-day break, Mr Kumar is in the same post, but his new partners are BJP and the Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha.

The yatra started in Sonapur in Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district this morning and reached Kishanganj in Bihar around 11 am. A Muslim-dominated area, the Kishanganj Lok Sabha constituency has been with the Congress since the 2009 Lok Sabha election. The rally will move to Purnea tomorrow and Katihar the day after. Both districts are JDU strongholds and when the yatra started, it was friendly territory for the Congress. Now, the equations have changed.

This will Mr Gandhi’s first visit to Bihar since the 2020 Assembly election. The 2020 election was followed by NDA alliance forming the government under Mr Kumar. Two years later, in August 2022, Mr Kumar walked out of the NDA alliance and reunited with estranged allies RJD and Congress. Yesterday, he made another flip-flop, teaming up with NDA again.

Leaders of the state Congress said the party’s alliance partners in Bihar, RJD and CPI(ML)-L, have been invited to the Purnea rally.

During the public addresses during the Bihar leg of the Yatra, Mr Gandhi is likely to target Mr Kumar over his latest volte-face. The Congress has reacted strongly to the Bihar reversal, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge referring to Mr Kumar as “aaya ram gaya ram” – a term used for politicians who keep changing sides.

The JDU, on its part, has accused the Congress of trying to hijack the INDIA platform. In his first remarks after resigning as Chief Minister, Mr Kumar, who was at the forefront of the formation of the Opposition bloc, said things were not moving in the INDIA bloc. Senior JDU leader KC Tyagi said the alliance ended because of the Congress’s arrogance.

After Bihar, the yatra is scheduled to re-enter Bengal before proceeding to Jharkhand. The march will end at Mumbai in March.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is interacting with ‘exam warriors’ at Pariksha Pe Charcha today at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Before the event, the prime minister shared his excitement for the programme. PM Modi holds the interaction with students every year before the Board exams. In addition to discussing exam stress relief, he also offered insights and useful advice from past programmes.

Here are the LIVE updates on PM’s Pariksha Pe Charcha: