By Srinand Jha

New Delhi: By design or by compulsions, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has come to face an unusual challenge: Of having to reinvent his political style at age 71.

By all accounts, Kumar's strengths are many. He is considered a man of ideas and abilities who – although lacking the caste support base of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad – has remained the undisputed chief minister of Bihar for 17 years. 

Despite having been an alliance partner of the BJP for almost two decades, his standing on socialist principles remains intact, as does his acceptability amongst leaders of the "secular camp". 

Much before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leaders launched their social engineering experiments in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, Kumar had silently and swiftly breached Lalu Prasad's formidable Muslim-Yadav (MY) citadel - creating a seperate constituency for himself among the Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), also called "mahadalits". 

He lacks the charisma and articulation of Lalu Prasad and the domineering presence of Narendra Modi but remains – even in his currently diminished status – an important political player. 

The trouble is only this: Kumar is in his finest fettle only when he is provided a readymade platform to govern and lead. Unlike Prasad or his former mentor George Fernandes, Kumar has never quite relished the role of a streetfighter and a campaigner. But, in his fresh 'avtaar', Kumar is now required to stretch his limits – to rework the 1989 magic of the late VP Singh – so to say. 

The hop-skip and jump

With small compromises – added with a dash of political astuteness –  Kumar could well have completed his term as the NDA chief minister until 2025. His partners have changed, but threats that his Janata Dal (United) would get gobbled up between the BJP and the RJD remains potent. 

But, even so, he chose to dump the BJP for this reason: The ambition to leave a political legacy. 

As an individual, Kumar is shy and reticent, but his latent desire to be considered as the Prime Ministerial candidate has remained unmistakable. 

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https://www.newsdrum.in/analysis/nitish-kumars-re-launch-79395.html