Analysis | LJP coup part of JD(U) housekeeping

It’s just one of series of attempts made by Nitish Kumar to bolster his party after its below par performance in 2020 Assembly polls

The (LJP), culminating in the isolation of Chirag Paswan, son of its founder, Ram Vilas Paswan, is just one of the series of attempts made recently by the Janata Dal (U) and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to bolster his party after its below par performance in the 2020 Assembly elections. Within seven months of returning as Chief Minister for a record fourth time, Mr. Kumar has been trying to put the house in order. The JD(U) won 43 seats (15.39 per cent of the vote share) in the elections, relegated to the third position behind the RJD (75 seats and 23.11 per cent vote share) and the BJP that got 74 seats and 19.4 per cent of votes. “We did not lose this election, we were tactically defeated by those with us and those against us. The LJP’s campaign, which could not have happened without a tacit understanding of the BJP, defeated 46 of our candidates,” a JD(U) leader said.