Patna: As campaigning intensifies in Bihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will decide the next Chief Minister after the state assembly elections. Speaking to media, Shah reiterated that the alliance is currently contesting the polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“Not only the BJP, but the people of Bihar also have full confidence in Nitish Kumar. The legislative party will decide who will be the Chief Minister after the NDA’s victory,” Shah said.
The former BJP president is in Bihar for a two-day visit. On Friday, he will hold a meeting in Chhapra and attend the nomination of BJP MLA Janak Singh from the Taraiya constituency, followed by a public rally. Shah is also expected to visit the Chief Minister’s residence to meet Nitish Kumar.
On Thursday night, Shah chaired a closed-door meeting with senior BJP leaders in Patna to review poll preparations and discuss the party’s campaign strategy. BJP leader Dilip Jaiswal said that Shah emphasised the alliance’s unity and confirmed that “we are contesting the elections under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.”
This time, the NDA has fielded candidates across all 243 constituencies, with both the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) contesting 101 seats each. Smaller allies, including Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha, have also announced their full lists of candidates.
In a separate development, the BJP on Thursday released a list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming polls. The list includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Nityanand Rai, and Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh. Senior leaders Rekha Gupta and Renu Devi are also among the prominent names.
Meanwhile, the BJP took a swipe at Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, remarking that “he will start looking for a job after November 14,” in an apparent jibe at his campaign promise of providing employment to Bihar’s youth.
