Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
In an abrupt shift in his political drive, the chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar had abandoned a thrill in the political circles by announcing that, the 2025 Assembly polls in Bihar, the Grand Alliance shall fight under the leadership of RJD senior leader Tejaswi Yadav, the deputy chief minister.
For reasons best known to the JD(U) stalwart, but the very annoincement in the change of guard must have raised heckles in Bihar politics. Like so many questions may have lurked up like: Is Nitish planning to retire from politics? Or Nitish thinks whether Tejaswi would be a more saleable face among the people? Or Nitish played the mater-stroke to keep the rival, mainly the BJP, at bay.
Even the decision has left a few political observers guessing. But, it is yet to be seen what are the core reactions of the senior JD(U) leaders in the state after such an announcement.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday announced that Grand Alliance would contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections under the leadership of senior RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav.
Kumar as per reports first made the announcement to this effect in a meeting of Grand Alliance legislators convened to chalk out the strategy to face opposition who geared up to raise issues to corner government on floor of the House during the ongoing winter session of the Bihar Legislature.
Later Kumar himself confirmed it during his interaction with media persons.
Chief Minister to a query of media persons regarding his statement regarding Tejaswi in the meeting of Grand Alliance legislators, said that he had been making it clear that Tejaswi would lead the Grand Alliance.
Yes, Tejaswi would definitely lead the Grand Alliance, he told media persons with smile when media persons tried to get it confirmed from him whether Grand Alliance would contest the 2025 Assembly elections under the leadership of Tejaswi.
Soon after the announcement by Kumar, chairman of JD(U) parliamentary board Upendra Kushwaha, however, refused to say anything on the issue.
Grand Alliance was presently making focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and then the issue of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections would come up, he maintained.
It was natural that the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections would come after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he stressed when media persons asked for his reaction.
Spokesman of RJD Shakti Yadav said that Kumar was the leader of the Grand Alliance and his decision would be final and binding for leaders of all constituents of the Alliance.
Tejaswi had made it clear earlier on several occasions that he was more concerned to look into issues of the common man and comfortable to work under the leadership of Kumar, he pointed out.
State spokesman of Congress Rajesh Rathore said that Grand Alliance had already projected Tejaswi as CM face in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections.
In August this year, Chief Minister Kumar joined hands with Grand Alliance deserting NDA, so there was nothing surprising that Tejaswi would be CM face of Grand Alliance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, as announced by Chief Minister Kumar, he felt.
Meanwhile, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP member of Rajya Sabha Sushil Kumar Modi said that Kumar should pave the way for Tejaswi to become CM as soon as possible.
BJP wanted to materialise the transfer of power from Nitish to Tejaswi, he quipped. If Tejaswi became CM, votes of entire Extremely Backward Backward Classes (EBCs) would shift to BJ P, he further said adding that a large chunk of EBCs had already come to fold of BJP, he stated.
