Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said he won’t switch sides in future and will remain firmly with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance. “We (BJP and JDU) were together since 1995. Beech mein 2 baar idhar udhar zaroor ho gaye theyy. Lekin ab kabhi nahi. Phir wahin rahenge, ab idhar udhar nahi honge. (In between, have wandered here and there twice. But not anymore. Will stay there, and won’t wander here and there anymore…),” the Bihar chief minister said after meeting BJP president JP Nadda in the national capital.
Earlier today, the Bihar chief minister —who is in the national capital — met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah before meeting BJP president Nadda.
It is important to note that the Bihar chief minister is scheduled to face a trust vote in the Assembly on February 12. Kumar had taken the oath along with eight ministers, including three each from the BJP and the JD(U), after dumping the opposition INDIA bloc last month. An expansion of the Council of Ministers is also on the cards.
Earlier, media reports suggested that the JD(U) leader may seek a special package for Bihar during his meetings with the BJP leaders ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He was also expected to discuss issues related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in the state.
Six Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar are falling vacant, for which elections are scheduled to be held on February 27.
There is also a view that Nitish Kumar wants the Bihar Assembly dissolved so that its election could be held along with the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
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When asked about the seat-sharing issue, he played it down, saying that they (BJP leaders) are aware of it.
“There is no logic behind discussing this. That will be done. They know everything from the beginning…,” Kumar said.
The BJP and the JD(U) contested 17 seats each in Bihar during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls while the then Lok Janshakti Party, now divided into two factions, contested six. The NDA now also includes former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha.
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
