While former Union Minister and Janata Dal (United) MP RCP Singh’s meeting with party chief Nitish Kumar on Saturday sparked a buzz about a possible reconciliation and return to the party fold after four years, most top party leaders are firmly opposed to the idea.These leaders believe that the party’s future should revolve around Nitish’s son, Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar, and the common refrain among them is that bringing back Singh would create two power centres.“I have known Nitish Kumar for 25 years. Nobody can fully understand this relationship. I still consider him my guardian. He was very happy to see me; the radiance on his face said it all,” Singh told the media after the meeting; asked about a possible return, he added, “I have always been with him.” Singh also praised Nishant, saying, “He has always been ‘Nishi’ to me. I am very happy to see him doing well. We have shared a very close bond.”A senior JD(U) leader dismissed the possibility of Singh’s coming back to the party. “A couple of third-rung leaders from Punpun and Patna have been trying very hard to facilitate his return. But RCP Singh has no backing from any frontline leaders. Over the last five years, he has strained his relationships with every key leader. He is hopping from one party to another.”Read | After doctor took on Nishant Kumar, Bihar’s health department hits backAnother senior leader echoed this view. “At a recent national executive meeting, party national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Union Minister Lalan Singh, and Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Choudhary explicitly stated that Nishant Kumar is the future of the party. Inducting RCP will only dilute this vision. Furthermore, RCP was primarily responsible for the party’s 2020 Assembly drubbing. The party has moved on from the RCP era and has no need for his services.”Rise and fallSingh, a former IAS officer who has been associated with Nitish Kumar since the late 1990s, was brought into Bihar’s political fold after the latter became CM. He rapidly rose in stature to become one of the state’s most powerful bureaucrats, serving as the CM’s principal secretary for a long time. He opted for voluntary retirement in 2010 and was subsequently nominated to the Rajya Sabha. As the general secretary (organisation) of the JD(U), he was the most powerful figure in the party behind Nitish Kumar between 2010 and 2020.His political stock began to decline after the party, under his watch, was reduced to 43 seats in 2020, down from 71 five years earlier. He managed to hold on to his post and became the JD(U) national president the following year. However, Singh fell out with Lalan Singh when he nominated himself for the sole Union Cabinet berth allocated to the party, bypassing the latter.Story continues below this adAmid growing speculation about his proximity to the BJP, RCP Singh was denied a Rajya Sabha renomination in 2022 and was later expelled from the party. He briefly joined the BJP, but quit to float his own outfit, and eventually merged it with Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party ahead of the Assembly elections last year. With the JSP proving to be a non-starter, Singh is now searching for a new political home. Both the Congress and the RJD are not viable options, and the BJP is unlikely to accept him since it might lead to friction with the JD(U).“While I do not wish to comment on individuals, we can state with utmost clarity that the future of the JD(U) rests with Nishant Kumar. All top leaders endorsed this at the recent national executive meeting. Nishant Kumar is now active in both the government and the organisation,” JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express.Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More