Nitish Kumar is a busy man ever since he snapped ties with the National Democratic Alliance, ousting the BHaratiya Janata Party from power in Bihar. A month on, the Bihar Chief Minister has been meeting opposition leaders from various parties in a bid to stitch a formidable alliance against the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections. The gamut of leaders includes the likes of Rahul Gandhi from Congress, Sharad Pawar of the National Congress Party, Chief Ministers K Chandrashekar Rao and Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, among others.

However, one prominent name that appears missing from the proposed Opposition coalition is Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati.

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As the plot behind Kumar’s move thickens, speculations are rife about Kumar contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh this time around or even throwing his weight behind the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Far from the leading voice against the BJP, Mayawati has come to be seen as a pariah in the Opposition after the BSP backed NDA’s nominees for the presidential and vice-president polls, going against the Opposition’s consensus candidate. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior JD(U) leader said that there were no such indications to suggest that Mayawati is ready to be part of a unified opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

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“Kumar has been willing to work with all parties which supported his move to walk out of the NDA alliance, including our Mahagathbandhan allies in Bihar, and those who share the same vision of presenting an alternative front against the BJP at the national level. So far, Mayawati has shown no keen interest to be part of that anti-BJP alliance,” the senior JD(U) leader told IE.

Barring their unsuccessful alliance during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the fact that the rise of BJP in Uttar Pradesh didn’t manage to bring SP and BSP together like the joining of opposition forces in other states was evident after Mayawati’s party decided to go solo in many occasions — the Assembly elections earlier this year to the recently-held byelections for Azamgarh, once Akhilesh Yadav’s stronghold.

The rift became more pronounced when Mayawati, while backing NDA presidential nominee Murmu, declared that the Opposition showcased their “anti-BSP” and “casteist” attitude for not consulting her before zeroing in on a consensus candidate.

A month later, supporting NDA candidate Dhankhar for the V-P polls, Mayawati said, “It is well-known that due to the lack of a consensus between the government and Opposition for the post of the president… Finally an election was held. Now as the same situation has developed, elections will be held for the post of vice-president… In view of larger public interest and the party’s own movement, the BSP has decided to extend its support to Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar….”

According to many, this was seen as a move to appeal to the BSP’s Jat vote bank after choosing to side with Dhankhar, a leader from the Jat background in Rajasthan. Also trying to expand its footprint before the Rajasthan Assembly elections next year, the BSP was more intent in signaling its stand, rather than going with the Opposition.

Kumar’s proximity to SP can be another reason to distance himself from Mayawati. After Kumar broke his alliance with the NDA, Akhilesh Yadav was one of the first leaders to welcome the move.