NDA holds meet, to fight Bihar poll under Nitish’s leadership
In a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chaired by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Monday, there was a consensus among allies that the 2025 Bihar Assembly poll will be fought with him being the CM’s face.
Kumar said he made a mistake of joining hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) twice and would continue to remain with the NDA. He said the NDA should achieve 200 of 243 seats in the polls.
The meeting comes in the light of Kumar meeting RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in September. Since then, there were speculations that he might join hands with the RJD.
Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Raju Tiwari said, “Under Nitish Kumar, the NDA will contest the 2025 Assembly elections. There is no doubt about it. Everyone has agreed to this. He wants better coordination among the alliance partners in the run-up to Assembly poll due next year.”
Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Jha said the Centre’s support to Bihar was appreciated by Kumar.
“He (Nitish Kumar) asked us to reach out to the first time voters, who did not see the condition of Bihar under the Opposition’s tenure. The Chief Minister wanted us to reach out to more youngsters. Strategies for the 2025 elections include reaching out to the booth-level workers and soon there will be meetings at the booth level as well,” Jha said.
JD(U) insiders also say that in the wake of Prashant Kishor launching his new party, Jan Suraaj and, party leaders have been instructed to visit their constituencies from now.
With Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s recent Hindu Swabhiman Yatra aimed at consolidating Hindu votes and a new political entrant, Jan Suraaj of Prashant Kishor, announcing the decision to give tickets to Muslim candidates, the RJD has welcomed Don Shahabuddin’s wife Hina Shahab and son Osama Shahab in the party to consolidate Muslim votes.
BJP spokesperson Niraj Kumar said the move signalled a potential revival of “jungle raj”. “Shahabuddin, a former MP known for his criminal background, represents a legacy many Bihar residents reject. Tejashwi Yadav brought Shahabuddin’s family into the RJD, implying that he is prioritising political gains over the public’s sentiments. Hena Shahab has faced multiple electoral defeats,” Kumar said.
“Our party leader has been asserting that the NDA will win 200 plus seats of the 243-strong House. For that, perfect synergy among constituents is a must. Today’s meeting has been called for that purpose,” Ashok Choudhary, JD(U) national general secretary, said.
