LJP chief Chirag Paswan tweeted congratulations to Nitish Kumar (file)
Patna:
Shortly after Nitish Kumar took over as Chief Minister of Bihar for an unprecedented sixth time, LJP’s Chirag Paswan tweeted to offer his congratulations.
However, hidden in the tweets, there was a hit to the head of JDU, a line about the BJP “that made him the prime minister,” to remind him that his party had performed well below par in the elections and that he he had retained the highest position. despite effectively handing over control of the alliance to the BJP.
“Congratulations to Nitish KumarHee for being Chief Minister again. I hope that the government completes its term and that you continue to be the Chief Minister of the NDA, ”Paswan posted.
“Made by 4 lakh Biharis, I am sending the vision document (the LJP Election Manifesto -” Bihar First, Bihari First “) to you … whatever work you can complete with it, do so. Congratulations once again on converting. in Chief Minister and (to) the BJP for naming him Chief Minister, “he added.
Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister on Monday night, five days after the JDU-BJP alliance narrowly won a victory. The BJP secured 74 seats in the 243-member Assembly, relegating the JDU, which achieved 43, to second place in the NDA in Bihar.
The victory was a change of luck – in 2015 the JDU had 71 and the BJP 53 – and left the hopes of Nitish Kumar in the hands of the BJP.
The BJP had emphasized that Mr. Kumar would remain in the top position if the NDA was re-elected. However, the margins sparked speculation that it could be scrapped, particularly with talks about a tacit deal between the BJP and Paswan’s LJP to reduce Nitish Kumar’s vote share and influence.
Last week, Nitish Kumar said the NDA would make the decision on a chief ministerial candidate, a statement seen as an indication of nervousness. He also ranted about the handling of Chirag Paswan by the BJP, who had stated their goal of “Nitish-Mukt (Without nitish) Bihar “.
On Sunday, however, the newly elected NDA legislators met and appointed Nitish Kumar as their Chief Minister. The BJP leaders reiterated their commitment in this regard, but the party also used its newfound power to remove Sushil Modi, considered by many to be loyal to Nitish Kumar, as his deputy.
The BJP has denied talks on a pre-election agreement with the LJP to do exactly what it did: drastically reduce Nitish Kumar’s influence and position in the NDA. The Lok Janshakti Party obtained 5.66 percent of the vote, while the difference between the BJP and the JDU was 4.27 percent.
Also last week, Paswan, when discussing the election results, said that he had “accomplished” what he set out to do. “… my goal for these elections was to ensure that the BJP emerges as a strong party in the state and we are happy with the impact we have had,” he told reporters.
The LJP, which ran candidates against all JDU nominees, ended up with only one seat despite contending for 135.
.
