The BJP has reaffirmed support for Nitish Kumar as chief ministerial candidate following opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav’s claims that the ruling coalition lacks a clear leadership plan for post-election Bihar.
Tejashwi, designated as the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, alleged the BJP would not retain Kumar as chief minister if the NDA wins the upcoming assembly elections. The RJD leader characterized Kumar as a “puppet” within the alliance during Tuesday’s manifesto launch.
BJP’s Strong Response
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad dismissed Tejashwi’s assertions during a press conference following the INDIA bloc’s manifesto release titled ‘Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran.’ “Nitish Kumar was, is, and will remain the chief minister. Tejashwi should first take care of his own house,” Prasad stated.
Prasad questioned whether the manifesto represented the Mahagathbandhan coalition or Tejashwi’s personal agenda, noting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the document. “This is a bundle of hollow promises, and even those who drafted it know they won’t form the government, so what’s the harm in making big claims? The RJD is a school of corruption, that’s their past, present, and future,” he declared.
Tejashwi’s Allegations
The RJD leader argued that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously suggested MLAs would determine Bihar’s chief minister rather than confirming Kumar’s position. “Nitish Kumar is like a puppet in NDA. The BJP is just using the face of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar,” Tejashwi claimed.
He contrasted the coalitions’ approaches: “The INDIA alliance has declared me as the CM face, but the NDA has not done even a single press conference to declare who will be the CM face of the NDA.”
Electoral Confidence
Tejashwi expressed optimism about his coalition’s prospects. “Not only do we have to form the government in Bihar, we also have to make a new Bihar. The Mahagathbandhan alliance has released the Sankalp Patra for Bihar. If you listen to the speeches of NDA leaders, there is just negativity. No one is speaking about how to take Bihar forward,” he stated.
Bihar will conduct assembly elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results announced November 14.
