Patna: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday responded to a question about Whether Nitish Kumar will remain Bihar’s Chief Minister if the NDA secures victory in the state assembly elections.
"I am not the one to decide whether Nitish Kumar will be CM or not. For now, we are contesting under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. After the elections, all allies will sit together and decide on their leader," Shah said speaking to India Today.
He also dismissed reports of any cracks in the NDA alliance over the seat sharing formula.
Shah further said that after the last assembly elections in 2020, Kumar had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasising that Bihar should have a Chief Minister from the BJP, as it had secured more seats than the JD(U).
"We always respected our alliance and Nitish was made the Chief Minister based on the respect he had earned and his seniority," he added.
Meanwhile, Shah arrived in Patna on Thursday evening, October 16, for a three-day visit.
According to BJP state unit chief Dilip Jaiswal, Shah’s visit holds significant importance as the nomination process and election campaigns are entering their crucial phase. The Home Minister is expected to participate in nomination events of NDA candidates and address several public rallies. On October 17, he will review poll preparedness with NDA candidates and BJP workers.
The BJP is contesting on 101 seats out of the 243 this time. The saffron party released its first list of 71 candidates on October 14, followed by 12 more on October 15, including popular folk singer Maithili Thakur, who will contest from Alinagar.
