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New Delhi, October 24 (IANS) The leadership dispute may end with Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly praising the leadership of ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the state on the day he launches the campaign in favor of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates.
As Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan’s public display of respect for Nitish Kumar should end the doubts over their current relationship. At an election event in Karpurigram in Samastipur district, Chirag bowed before sitting Nitish to touch the feet of the seventy-year-old chief minister.
At the campaign launch in Karpurigram, Prime Minister Modi shared his confidence that the alliance under Nitish in Bihar will break all its previous records and give the largest mandate ever.
In Begusarai, the Prime Minister again reiterated his support to Nitish Kumar for years of good governance, and credited the NDA government for stabilizing Bihar after years of “jungle raj”.
Comparing the NDA’s governance record with the opposition’s dynastic and corrupt politics, he presented Nitish as central to the ruling faction’s development agenda for Bihar. Promising accelerated industrial growth and job creation, he urged voters to give a bigger mandate to the NDA while Nitish sat next to him.
The leadership debate was triggered by a routine comment by Home Minister Amit Shah a few days ago when, when asked about the NDA’s potential chief ministerial candidate, he had said that the decision would depend on the elected MLAs after the election results – a standard response in line with the established procedure.
However, the opposition took advantage of his statement and said that the NDA remains uncertain about Nitish Kumar’s position in the post-poll scenario. Meanwhile, extended seat-sharing discussions among NDA allies have fueled speculation that reportedly disgruntled Chirag Paswan may once again consider taking the independent path, reminiscent of his stand during the 2020 assembly elections.
The two major constituents of the NDA, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) agreed to contest 101 seats each, allocating 29 seats to allies LJP (RV) and six seats each to Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
While reports claim this is much lower than what Chirag had offered to his party’s candidates, there were talks of the young Paswan walking out of the NDA and fielding his candidates in at least half of Bihar’s 243 assembly constituencies. Nothing like this happened, but there were talks about alleged dissatisfaction in LJP (RV).
Incidentally, in 2020, Chirag had openly rebelled against Nitish Kumar, accusing him of misgovernance and corruption. However, he continued to claim loyalty to PM Modi during this period, calling himself Hanuman to him.
Although his decision spoiled the NDA’s position on several seats, causing more losses to Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), of the 135 candidates fielded by the then undivided LJP, only one could win the seat, while 110 forfeited their deposits. But about a year after their victory, LJP’s lone MLA Raj Kumar Singh joined JDU in the presence of the Chief Minister himself.
Despite differences and setbacks, Chirag bounced back with a 100 per cent strike rate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with his LJP (RV) candidates winning all five seats the party contested in alliance with the NDA. After that victory, he had made several attempts to build a working relationship with Nitish, although the underlying tension was sometimes evident.
–IANS
JB/PGH