The BJP emerged as the largest party, while the JD(U) made significant gains. Both parties contested 101 seats each. The BJP has won 91, while the JD(U) has secured 83.
Photo: ANI
Cashing in on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the women-centric welfare schemes launched by his government, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar on Friday led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a landslide victory in Bihar.
The BJP emerged as the largest party, while the JD(U) made significant gains. Both parties contested 101 seats each. The BJP has won 91, while the JD(U) has secured 83.
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The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Tejashwi Yadav bit the dust with just 26 seats, while its alliance partner in the ‘Mahagathbandhan,’ Congress, bagged just six seats. The election outcome puts a big question mark on the leadership of Tejashwi, with his party’s strength going down considerably.
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For the RJD, there is limited relief, as its leader and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, is leading in Raghopur by over 13,000 votes after initially trailing.
As soon as the trends became clear, JD(U) workers began celebrating at the party office in Patna. Soon, posters reading “Bihar ka matlab Nitish Kumar” (Bihar means Nitish Kumar) and “Hamaare Bihar ka ek hi star, har baar Nitish Kumar” (Bihar has only one star, every time Nitish Kumar) appeared across the Bihar capital.
Through this, the JD(U) attempted to send a clear message to its NDA partners, “Nitish Kumar was, is, and will remain the Chief Minister of Bihar.”
Earlier, a hoarding featuring Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with the tagline “Tiger abhi zinda hai” (The tiger is still alive) was installed outside the JD(U) office in Patna. It was seen as a reflection of the political mood among JD(U) leaders and workers, projecting the party’s strength within the NDA and highlighting Nitish Kumar’s political vitality.
However, with the BJP winning far more seats than the JD(U), along with the strong performance of the LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM, and RLM, the million-dollar question in Bihar’s political circles is, will Nitish Kumar return as Chief Minister, or will someone else get the coveted post?
The buzz intensified after a social media post from the party’s official handle. On platform X, the JD(U) posted: “Na bhuto, na bhavishyati… Nitish Kumar was, is, and will remain the Chief Minister of Bihar.” The party deleted the post shortly afterward.
The deletion fuelled speculation, especially since the NDA fought the election under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, but the political equations appear to be reshaping after the BJP’s dominant performance.
Political analysts are closely watching the next move of the BJP’s central leadership, particularly the troika of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and J P Nadda, who have so far refrained from making any commitment regarding Nitish Kumar’s return as chief minister.
Early in the campaign, there was speculation about Nitish Kumar’s health. The Chief Minister countered this by addressing 84 public rallies in support of his party’s candidates. After the polling, Nitish Kumar was seen seeking blessings at various religious places, which is viewed as an attempt to counter the Opposition’s narrative around his age and health.
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