Two political figures, eight years apart in age and 12,000 km away, yet a series of uncanny parallels run between them. One is Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, the other is former US President Joe Biden. With Nitish Kumar showing visible signs of fatigue and occasional confusion, much like Biden's public gaffes that raised questions about his mental fitness ahead of the 2024 US polls, the parallel is noteworthy and unmissable.
advertisement
Much like Biden, who was forced not to run for the 2024 presidential election amid growing doubts and attacks about his cognitive wellbeing, Nitish Kumar too, now in his record ninth term as Bihar's CM, is facing calls to hang up his boots. Biden's Republican rival Donald Trump called him a "Sleepy Joe". Several reports and videos of a "clueless" Nitish have been emerging for almost two years now.
Opposition leaders, including RJD leader Tejaswhwi Yadav and Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor (PK), have been highlighting Nitish's inability to lead and calling for him to step down, much like the fatigue that shadowed Biden's long run before he finally stepped aside.
The gaffes have been galore. In 2024, Nitish Kumar said he even wished to see PM Narendra Modi become the "chief minister" again. Then he mistakenly predicted that the NDA would win "more than 4,000 seats", not 400, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The question now is can the 74-year-old Nitish survive the pre-election rumblings in Bihar, unlike 82-year-ol
Continue Reading on India Today
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.