Churning in Bihar: RJD Leaders Woo Nitish Kumar to Lead Opposition as Tejashwi Stays Away

Leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Patna are urging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to lead socialist-leaning parties, arguing that the opposition lacks an acceptable national leader. With RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in jail, senior party leader Shivanand Tiwari has openly invited Kumar to head an opposition left in disarray by the Lok Sabha election.

Overtures to Nitish

Tiwari said the Janata Dal (United) was making a historic mistake by staying in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Bihar and at the Centre. He argued that with no credible opposition nationally, Kumar should move to national politics and unite opposition parties, given his secular image. Tiwari said he had watched Kumar for nearly 35 years and believed he had the courage and ability to become Prime Minister.

Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who leads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, also advised Kumar to leave the NDA and build an alternative platform. Such moves are being seen as an invitation for the JD(U) chief to rejoin the RJD before the 2020 assembly election. Kumar had fought the 2015 election alongside the RJD and the Congress and formed the government.

Tejashwi’s absence

The RJD is weighing these options partly because Tejashwi Prasad Yadav appears disenchanted and reluctant to lead. He has been largely absent since the Lok Sabha rout, in which the RJD won no seat for the first time. He has reportedly told his family he would not accept interference from his sister Misa Bharti or brother Tej Pratap Yadav if he led the party, and wants to clear his name in property and IRCTC-related cases first. Some senior leaders have proposed a working president to run the party in Lalu’s absence.

JD(U)’s own course

The JD(U) opposed the Triple Talaq Bill and the Article 370 move in both houses of Parliament, and differs with the BJP on a uniform civil code and the Ram Mandir. Although part of the NDA, it plans to contest elections on its own in Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, aiming for national party status by 2020. It is currently a recognised party in Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh.

What happened next

In the 2020 Bihar assembly election, the RJD won 75 seats, the BJP 74, the JD(U) 43 and the Congress 19, and Nitish Kumar remained Chief Minister.

See also: Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Originally published on 21 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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