Politics heats up on assuming leadership of NDA in Bihar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on December 14 created a stir in the politics of Bihar. One of his statements created an atmosphere of confusion in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). After this, Chief Minister and Janata Dal United (JDU) chief Nitish Kumar maintained such silence that allies from Delhi to Patna became restless.

Nitish Kumar finally broke his silence in Sitamarhi on December 28 and said,

“We went around (the Grand Alliance) by mistake twice. Now we will always be with NDA and will develop Bihar and the country.”

Amit Shah’s statements and political speculations

In a news channel program in Delhi, Amit Shah created a stir in political circles when he raised questions about the leadership in Bihar, citing the example of Eknath Shinde. Amit Shah said:

“There are no decisions in such programs. Everyone will sit together and decide and information will be given on time.”

This statement was taken as an indication that BJP has not yet taken a final decision on whether Nitish Kumar will lead the NDA in the 2025 assembly elections or not.

BJP leaders in support of Nitish

After Amit Shah’s statement, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal made it clear that the elections will be fought under the leadership of Nitish only. However, soon he also said that the final decision on leadership will be taken by the party high command.

• Senior BJP leaders, such as Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Giriraj Singh, have consistently reiterated their desire to contest the elections under Nitish.
• Giriraj Singh even said that Nitish Kumar should be given Bharat Ratna.

Nitish Kumar’s silence and JDU’s tough stance

Nitish Kumar maintained silence for four days. Even in the program organized on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 25 December, he maintained distance from the media.

• Nitish, who reached Sitamarhi under Pragati Yatra, gave the statement for the first time:
  

  “We will not go anywhere now. Will always be with NDA.”

• JDU released a poster on social media and made it clear that the leadership in Bihar politics will remain only with Nitish Kumar.

BJP’s core group meeting and final decision

On 23 December, BJP’s core group meeting was held in Surajkund, Haryana. After two days of brainstorming, BJP formally announced that the 2025 elections will be fought under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

Vijay Kumar Sinha said,

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s favorite Nitish Kumar established good governance in Bihar and ended Jungle Raj. In future too, the NDA government in Bihar will continue under the leadership of Nitish ji.

Nitish’s journey from Grand Alliance to NDA

• 2020: Bihar Assembly elections were held under the leadership of NDA and Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister.
• 2022: Nitish joins the Grand Alliance and forms the government with RJD.
• 2024: Nitish returned to NDA in January.

What do political experts say?

This was the first time after Nitish Kumar’s return to NDA that questions were raised on his leadership.

1. The BJP’s initial signals of support created confusion, but the support was later clarified.
2. JDU saw this as its political strength and described Nitish’s leadership as inevitable.

Preparation for 2025 elections

Assembly elections are possible in Bihar at the end of 2025. Nitish Kumar’s leadership could prove to be a strong link for the NDA, especially when the BJP has unitedly accepted his leadership.

This development in Bihar politics shows that despite differences, Nitish Kumar’s stature in the alliance strategy is still intact.