New Delhi: Despite repeated flip-flops, his own allies can’t afford to completely ignore him during pre-polls, parleys and seat distribution. His opponents tend to choose their words with extreme caution while criticising him. Love him or hate him, but you can't ignore Nitish Kumar in Bihar politics, even as he enters the autumn of his political career.

It was the BJP, in its quest for a non-Yadav OBC leader who could challenge Lalu Yadav’s undisputed sway over the weaker sections after the Mandal surge in the early nineties, that first grasped the importance of being Nitish Kumar in Bihar.

After a few false starts, the saffron outfit understood beyond doubt that it would have to concede the leadership position to the JD(U) leader if it were to effectively oust Lalu in Bihar.

While form

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