The Janata Dal United (JD-U) and the BJP~key coalition partners in the NDA government in Bihar~are currently caught in a peculiar game of checkmating each other. Both the partners are far short of majority mark in the state assembly but they are working overtime to somehow increase their tally to “dominate” each other which has badly affected the functioning of the government. The situation is such that the present ministers are overburdened with work since each single minister is in charge of minimum five departments as the government is yet to carry out the cabinet expansion even two months after forming the government in the state.

Especially, the JD-U headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar looks quite desperate to increase its tally by hook or by crook after it finished distant third in the recently-concluded assembly elections in the state. The JDU managed to win only 43 seats against 74 won by its ally BJP, which has kept on troubling the party. Adding salt to his wound, the BJP has gone on calling the JD-U as its “Junior Ally” which has irked the chief minister very much.

Under its single-point mission to increase its tally to “respectable” number, the JDU recently inducted the lone BSP legislator Md Jama Khan to the party last month. The JD-U has also lured an Independent legislator Sumit Kumar Singh. Last week, all the five legislators from Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM met the chief minister, triggering speculations. However, as the news made waves in the media, the AIMIM contradicted the media speculations and has also set a new condition for joining the JD-U. “We will lend support to Nitish Kumar only after he breaks alliance with the BJP,” state AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman told newsmen today.

Apart from them, the JD-U leadership is also said to be working overtime to lure the Congress legislators. A total of 19 Congress legislators got elected to the state assembly this time and the JDU leadership is making all attempts to get support of at least 14 legislators by offering them ministerial berths and other privileged positions.

The BJP which for the first time in the past two decades was able to push the JD-U behind in the matter of number of seats is also working with caution to strengthen its position and increase its tally so that it remained far ahead of its ally. Last week, as many as 21 leaders from the RJD, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) joined the BJP.