Patna,(BiharTimes): The induction of 19 new faces in the Union cabinet and dropping of five ministers by prime minister on July 5 has definitely been done keeping in mind the Assenbly elections to be held in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc in the next couple of years.
Nitish’s sudden love for Uttar Pradesh has much to do with the Kurmi politics of that state. Apna Dal is considered as the party of Kurmis, the caste to which Nitish Kumar belongs.
After the death of its leader Sonelal Patel it is led by his widow, Krishna Patel. The party contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the BJP and won two seats. The saffron party got 71, while Samajwadi Party and Congress five and two each.
But the problem with the Apna Dal is that it has virtually got split with mother and daughter leading different factions. Anupriya, who reportedly drifted too much towards the BJP, was expelled from the party, in May 2015.
Only on July 2 when she organized a rally in Varanasi it was addressed by none else but BJP chief Amit Shah. It was there that Amit Shah called Nitish Kumar a ‘vote-katwa’. The message was loud and leader to the new JD(U) president.
At the same time Krishna Patel was holding another rally of Apna Dal. The other MP Kunwar Harivansh Singh (from Pratapgarh) is with her mother.
So if there is turmoil in Koeri-dominated NDA constituent in Bihar, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, in Uttar Pradesh, the Kurmi-party, Apna Dal is facing the same situation.
So the rift in Koeri-Kurmi parties in both the state may certainly help Nitish further consolidate his position.
As a damage limitation exercise Modi hurriedly made young Anupriya a minister, though her mother did not appreciate the move. She said that her party was not even consulted before her daughter was made the minister.
