Bihar: Nitish Kumar is Trying to Consolidate the Luv-Kush-Dhanuk Axis to Expand Social Base FOLLOW US ON: Patna: Concerned about the poor performance of the party in the recently-concluded state assembly elections, the Janata Dal (U) supremo and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is trying to consolidate its vote base of Kurmi and Koeri (Luv-Kush) and further strengthen its electoral base from other castes. The legislative tally of the JD (U) was reduced from 115 in 2010 to 43 in 2020 – fall of 72 seats in a decade. To achieve his goal, the Bihar chief minister has relinquished the post of national president of the party and handed over the charge to RCP Singh, his trusted lieutenant and a Kurmi by caste. Simultaneously, former party MLA Umesh Kushwaha, a Koeri by caste, has been appointed as the state party president. The appointments are aimed at consolidating the Luv-Kush combination in favour of the party.