From the Urdu Press: ‘If Nitish switches sides, won’t be surprising’, ‘INDIA bloc seems to be drifting’

The Lok Sabha polls may be just a couple of months away, but the Opposition INDIA alliance still seems to be in disarray, struggling to find a common ground and purpose in its bid to take on the BJP juggernaut, which has turned more formidable in the wake of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Reflecting this state of play in national politics, some of the Urdu dailies underlined that the INDIA parties have not been able to resolve their differences and wrap up seat-sharing, especially in crucial states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, so far. The dailies also wondered how could the Opposition grouping set a common poll narrative against the BJP when they continue to sing different tunes.

Amid growing buzz over the tension in the relations between the JD(U) and its key Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) partner RJD in Bihar, the multi-edition Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, in its January 21 editorial headlined ‘Nitish phir badlein ge paala (Will Nitish again switch sides)?’, says that self-interest guides the politics of every party, which keeps shifting as per the changing situation. “When Nitish broke up with the BJP in August 2022 and joined hands with the Mahagathbandhan to lead its government, it was difficult to predict that he would always continue to be part of the coalition involving the RJD, Congress and Left parties and that he would never return to the NDA,” it says.

A few weeks after taking charge as the new JD(U) president after replacing Rajiv Ranjan Singh or Lalan Singh, Nitish has rejigged his party, appointing a new team of national office-bearers, the editorial notes. “Nitish has brought back his close aide Vashishth Narayan Singh as the new vice-president and elevated K C Tyagi to the position of