As the results trickled in Tuesday evening pointing to the NDA scraping past the 122-seat majority mark with the BJP as the dominant partner for the first time in Bihar, its leaders underlined their campaign commitment to continue with Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the architect of the current BJP-JD (U) alliance, dialled Nitish in what party leaders called a “congratulatory” call. Sources said that Shah was clear that if the NDA formed the government, Nitish Kumar would lead it.
But the fact that Nitish and his JD(U) have slid in the final tally isn’t lost on anyone. By midnight Tuesday, the BJP was leading in 74 of the 110 seats it had contested (a gain of 21) and the JD(U) in 43 of 115 (a loss of 28).
For the record, there was little confusion.
“Our bosses have already declared that Nitish Kumar is going to be our Chief Minister,” BJP’s Bihar unit President Sanjay Jaiswal told The Indian Express. “When we decided to be partners, our then national president Amit Shah had said that NDA would be led by Nitish Kumar. So, it stands.” he said.
Asked if Kumar would be CM for the entire five years if the NDA forms the government, Jaiswal said: “Naturally, when our Prime Minister has said that. Yes, it will be so.”
#NitishKumar #BiharElections #NDA
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