Following a historic Bihar Assembly win, NDA allies begin intense talks on ministerial berths and deputy chief minister positions, while the incumbent Nitish Kumar is retained. JD(U)’s chief strategist, Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union Minister Lallan Singh reached Delhi on Saturday evening and held a discussion with NDA’s strategist, Home Minister Amit Shah. The term of the current Assembly is till November 22. “It was just a courtesy visit to the HM after the results were announced. Things will be discussed during the next couple of days,” sources close to the JD(U) leaders told The Pioneer.
Sources in the BJP as well as the JD(U) said that while Nitish, under whose name the election was fought as the popular CM choice, there will be two deputy CM from the BJP, which will include one woman and the third will belong to Chirag Paswan-led LJP(RV).
As per the voting pattern, women played a crucial role in giving a massive mandate to the NDA. Top party sources in the BJP said that Nitish will remain CM till his health permits; however it is being speculated that since the BJP has always emerged as the bigger brother in the coalition, a certain change is imminent and Bihar would see a BJP CM within a year.
“Yes, I agree there would be no change in the present adjustment, as Nitish is the popular choice. But given his deteriorating health and rumblings within the BJP that they have to play the role of younger brother, there may be a change after next year's crucial assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam. Till then Nitish wont be touched,” said a top BJP Parliamentarian who was active in the just concluded Bihar assembly polls.
Another BJP leader shared that the roadmap for the West Bengal polls due next summer has already been shared with them and now they shall move to the neigbouring state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Bihar victory speech, had indicated that the buck will now stop in Bengal as the holy river Ganga flows from Bihar to West Bengal.
Allies called for separate meetings of their victorious legislators in Patna on Saturday evening as the Government formation process will begin “in two to three days” after all MLAs reach Patna.
Sources said Nitish Kumar would meet the Governor and submit his resignation on Monday to end his current term and discuss fixing the date of the swearing-in ceremony for the next term. Monday has been scheduled for the legislators to meet after the Cabinet dissolves the current Vidhan Sabha.
Chirag Paswan met incumbent CM Nitish Kumar and after the meeting, Paswan said he was “pleased” that the Bihar CM had “appreciated” the role played by all NDA allies. NDA swept the Bihar assembly polls, bagging 202 seats in the 243-seat state assembly. While the BJP emerged as the biggest party with 89 seats in its kitty out of the 101 it contested, closely following was its biggest Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), which won 85 seats. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) party won 19 out of the 29 seats it contested.
BJP suspends RK Singh
New Delhi: After winning the Bihar elections, the BJP moved against rebel leaders, suspending former Union Minister and ex-Arrah MP RK Singh and two others for anti-party activities. Singh immediately resigned, sharing letters accusing the party of discomfort with his anti-corruption stance. The Bihar unit’s show-cause notice cited harm to the party, noting Singh’s long-standing criticism since his 2024 defeat.
