Bharat Ratna To Karpoori Thakur As Impetus For Nitish Kumar's U-Turn?

At (or near) the top of the list of probable reasons why Nitish Kumar is likely to re-ally with the BJP is the centre's move to award two-time former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur a Bharat Ratna.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will exit the state's ruling Mahagathbandhan and, by extension the now-stuttering Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc, and re-ally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the April/May Lok Sabha election, sources told NDTV Thursday.

News of a fifth U-turn by the Janata Dal (United) boss - who has flip-flopped between the BJP, the Congress, and/or Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal since 2013 - has triggered speculation over what led to the latest jump. At (or near) the top of the list of probable causes is the BJP's decision to award former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur a posthumous Bharat Ratna - the highest civilian award.

Mr Thakur was an iconic socialist leader who was Chief Minister twice in the 1970s, and is credited with implementing the state's contentious alcohol prohibition policy. Still remembered today as 'jan nayak', or 'leader of the people', Karpoori Thakur's legacy remains a valuable asset for political parties today.