Bihar 2020 Election Result: Nitish Kumar Seeks Re-election for a Sixth Term as Chief Minister (Archive)
Mumbai:
Nitish Kumar should thank Shiv Sena for keeping the post of Chief Minister of Bihar despite his JDU winning fewer seats than the BJP, Sanjay Raut said Tuesday night in a blow to his former party ally. Raut said Kumar should pay attention to what happened in Maharashtra in October last year and said his party had shown what happens when alliance partners fail to keep their promise.
He was referring to the dramatic events that followed last year’s Assembly elections in Maharashtra, when the BJP and Shiv Sena clashed (spectacularly) after disagreements over the sharing of power. The two contested the polls together and came to victory, but the Sena later alleged that the BJP was refusing to fulfill its pre-election promise to rotate the prime minister.
“I’ve heard the BJP leaders say only Nitish babu will be the Chief Minister. Nitish babu I should thank Shiv Sena for this. Failure to keep promises will not happen in Bihar because the Shiv Sena has shown what can happen if the word is not kept, “Raut said.
“So if Nitish Kumar becomes Prime Minister of Bihar, despite winning fewer seats (compared to the BJP), he should thank Shiv Sena,” he added.
Trends at 9.05pm showed the BJP-led NDA marginally ahead of the opposition Mahagathbandan, which is led by Tejashwi Yadav and the RJD. The NDA leads in 123 seats, while the opposition alliance leads it in 113. The majority mark in the 243-member Assembly is 122.
However, Nitish Kumar’s JDU is struggling. Faced with a strong anti-incumbent wave, the Chief Minister’s party is only 43 seats ahead. The BJP, on the contrary, is ahead in 72 and prepares, for the first time, to be the older brother of its alliance with Janata Dal (United).
Raut’s coup was in reference to the fact that the BJP had said that Nitish Kumar would remain the Chief Minister if his alliance won the elections, regardless of the number of seats won by each party.
Some reports say that this promise will be kept and that Kumar will remain prime minister regardless of the performance of his party or the BJP. Others, however, say that some BJP leaders feel that Kumar is not in a position to make the decisions, particularly given the weak performance of the JDU.
The JDU, however, has made it clear: the BJP had given its word. The party also noted that without it, the BJP could not hope to obtain a majority in Bihar, a situation identical to that in Maharashtra, where the BJP emerged as the largest party but did not reach a majority on its own. , thus handing over the initiative to the Shiv Sena.
Raut also praised opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Mahagathbandanhe is the leading ministerial candidate and, in the absence of notable assistance from Congress, has been active in the campaign.
Yadav has shown “fighting spirit” despite contesting the elections in a “hostile” situation, said Sanjay Raut, adding that polls had named him “man of the party.”
“The young leader fought against the Prime Minister, Prime Minister and Union Ministers in such a hostile situation alone and turned the campaign around himself. The country and Bihar have a face in politics that we can trust. “, said. .
Exit polls gave the opposition victory, but exit polls are often wrong. Polls also showed that Yadav was the main preferred ministerial candidate of the people of Bihar.
With input from PTI
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