Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Saturday that Bihar voters would withdraw Nitish Kumar in this assembly election, and commented on Nitish’s recent comment that this would be his last election.
Speaking to the ANI news agency, Raut said: “Nitish ji is a very important leader. He has played his tickets. If a leader says this is my last pick, they should respectfully say goodbye. The people of Bihar were waiting for the occasion of this farewell. The people will retire it in this election. “
On Thursday, Kumar, who is also the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chief ministerial candidate for these elections during a rally in Bihar’s Purnia, said: “Well what ends well. The next day, there is a vote. This is my last pick. Will you vote for the JD-U candidate or not? “
A storm of speculation broke out over whether Kumar, who is seeking a seventh term, would withdraw from active politics.
His immediate rival, RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, said Kumar had worn himself out and could not run the state, adding that the retirement announcement indicated that the CM had understood the basic realities.
Another rival of the prime minister, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan, who was previously with the NDA, questioned what Nitish Kumar voters will do if he fled the battlefield. Paswan also said that he would not let Kumar walk away from the corruption investigation. Paswan had previously called Kumar the “most corrupt prime minister in Bihar,” adding that he would befriend anyone to stay in power.
Read also | ‘No one retires from politics’: JD (U) after Nitish’s statement
Meanwhile, JD (U) issued a clarification on Friday stating that Kumar was not withdrawing from Bihar politics.
The party’s state unit chairman and MP Bashistha Narain Singh said the comment on the prime minister’s “last elections” at the rally meant it was the last day of his campaign. Singh added that Kumar will continue to work for as long as the Bihar public wants.
Voting for the third and final phase is currently underway in 78 constituencies in 15 districts of the state. A 19.74 percent voter turnout was recorded until 11 a.m., when voters began to exercise their right to vote from 7 a.m. The results of the three phases will be declared on November 10.
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