A (Non) Ideological Journey?

Nitish Kumar's act of shifting ideological positions evokes a very complex question - does ideology matter at all in contemporary politics?

- Abhik Bhattacharya

IN the run-up to the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, when Nitish Kumar was fighting without his traditional ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented that the party made a big sacrifice by making Kumar the CM in 2005. Soon after, senior JD (U) leaders jumped in to defend their leader and said it was Kumar’s popularity that forced the BJP to elect him.

Modi’s jibe at Kumar did not come out of nowhere. He was the only NDA member who, in 2013, strongly opposed Modi’s projection as the prime ministerial candidate. He also made this the ground to end 17 years of their political relationship and paved the way for a new coalition—the Mahagathbandhan.

But the bitterness did not last long. In 2017, Kumar quit the Mahagathbandhan and re-joined the NDA. However, in 2022, he again quit the NDA and re-joined the Mahagathbandhan, only to be back in 2024, just before the Lok Sabha elections, probably sensing which way the political winds are blowing. Some may question his flip-flops, but one thing is evident—he will always have his way.