The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday stated that incumbent Bihar Chief Minister and party president Nitish Kumar was the “unanimous leader” of the National Democratic Alliance in the state Assembly elections.

This came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that while the NDA was contesting the elections under Kumar’s leadership, the decision about the next chief minister would be taken after the polls, India Today reported.

“Elected MLAs of the coalition partners will first elect their respective party leaders, who will sit together and decide as to who will head the next government,” Shah told the television channel on Friday.

The National Democratic Alliance in Bihar comprises the Janata Dal (United), the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

The Assembly polls are due to be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, while the votes will be counted on November 14.

“Nitish Kumar never strays from the path of development,” JD (U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said on social media on Saturday. “People’s faith in Nitish Kumar is unflinching – as a symbol of good governance, friend of justice and as the unanimous leader of the NDA’s development agenda.”

Neeraj Kumar also claimed that Shah was only clarifying the procedural norms of selecting the chief minister, ANI reported.

He added that since Shah said the polls would be fought under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, it was “fixed” that he would be the chief minister as well.

When Chirag Paswan was asked about Shah’s remarks, he said: “It is a standard process. Elected MLAs of the NDA will sit together and decide the CM candidate.”

During his campaign for the polls, Paswan has mentioned “new resolution” and “new leadership”, The Indian Express reported.

The Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, Pashupati Kumar Paras’ Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party and three Left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

In the 2020 Assembly polls, the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan ended up with an identical vote share at 37.2%.

However, the NDA returned to power in Bihar with a slender majority, winning 125 seats in the 243-member state Assembly. The Opposition bagged 110 seats.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav, emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats but still lost the election.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which the Mahagathbandhan fought together, the Rashtriya Janata Dal won four of the total 40 parliamentary constituencies, while the Congress clinched three and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) managed to bag two seats.

The NDA had won 30 seats.

Also read: By fighting Bihar polls, has the Opposition undermined its claims about ‘vote theft’?

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