NITISH FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL AMID UNCERTAINTIES

As polls near, Nitish Kumar faces isolation, fading trust, and political peril.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar has long been regarded—along with the late Sushil Modi of the BJP—as one of the few clean politicians in Bihar's often murky political landscape.

Yet, for all his reputation for probity, Nitish never built a trusted inner circle. He allowed people to come close, but the moment he sensed they might overshadow him, he pushed them away. It became a revolving door—Nitish at the centre, everyone else orbiting around him, never for long, Today, many call him their leader, but few seem truly invested in his fate.

Political observers and longtime associates told The Sunday Guardian that at this final stretch of his political career, Nitish stands surrounded by opportunists—leaders waiting for him to falter, many of whom have already drawn up plans for life after 14 November, when the Assembly election results will be declared.

Those who have worked with him admit that his current predicament is largely self-created—born of insecurity, poor judgment of people, and his inability to retain those capable of offering him honest counsel. That vacuum has allowed figures of questionable character to gather around him.

Despite murmurs about his health and diminishing influence, Nitish Kumar's political instincts remain intact, as the candidates list released by him shows. The Janata Dal (United), through a first list of 57 candidates released on Wednesday and a second list of 44 candidates announced on Thursday, has now finalised its complete slate of 101 nominees for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. Together, the lists lay bare his survival strategy—consolidate the core and balance the rest.