Nitish Kumar’s decision to walk out of the NDA and join hands with rival RJD marked a bitter end to his tenuous relationship with the BJP after returning to power in November 2020 as Chief Minister heading the coalition government. Those who have interacted with Nitish said he was “not at all comfortable” from Day One. “He believed the BJP belittled him using Chirag Paswan (of LJP). When you lose (votes), you start believing in such things. He did not want to be Chief Minister but reluctantly agreed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested. But he was not at all comfortable,” a leader said. Over the last year, equations between the two parties deteriorated drastically.