Will he, won't he?

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar created ripples in the Bharatiya Janata Party circles earlier this week by heaping praise on its MP Shatrughan Sinha and describing him as the "pride of Bihar". As rumours flew thick and fast that Sinha's wife, Poonam Sinha, could contest the coming state Assembly polls on a Janata Dal (United) ticket, Kumar said his relationship with Shatrughan Sinha was more than "political". While the Chief Minister refused to comment on the speculation around Shatrughan Sinha's wife, the MP denied any such possibility. The next day, however, Shatrughan Sinha shared the stage with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Kumar's ally Lalu Prasad at a caste meeting where speakers openly asked him to join the "secular alliance".