More alliances?

Is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar trying to cobble together a Bihar-like anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in poll-bound Assam? Seems so. Apparently, Kumar has already met Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) chief Prafulla Mahanta and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) President Badruddin Ajmal. The idea is to bring the Congress, the AGP and the AIUDF on to a common platform against the BJP. With the BJP grabbing seven of Assam's 14 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, the state is top priority in Kumar's strategy manual. Janata Dal (United) National Spokesman K C Tyagi told reporters recently that Kumar had good reason to take active interest in the affairs of some other states: the results of the Bihar Assembly polls, which were a clear mandate against the BJP. Naturally, Kumar is keen on seeing other states follow the same path.