Gujarat election 2017: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said BJP is going to win with a massive majority in the upcoming Gujarat state assembly elections. Speaking at the Network18’s ‘Rising Bihar’ event in Patna, Nitish said that Narendra Modi is a popular leader and the people of Gujarat will vote for him. He even went to the extent of saying that it is going to be a bigger victory for BJP in Gujarat than the party had achieved in UP state assembly polls.
Commenting on Bihar, Nitish said that it is a landlocked state and it should be given special status so that people can invest more in the state. However, despite this trade in Bihar has expanded. Bihar has developed in food processing and textiles and I-T sector as well, Kumar said. On the question of whether he wants to become Prime Minister of the country in future, Nitish replied with a witty answer that he does not believe in keeping unnecessary aspirations. The JD(U) chief said that he is working for the development of Bihar which also means he is working for the country.
Nitish also said that he has never used foul language in his political career and personal attack on any politician should not be entertained.
On November 17, in a big win for Nitish Kumar, the Election Commission recognised the group led by him as the Janata Dal (United), rejecting the claim of the Sharad Yadav faction over the party’s name and election symbol. Kumar and Yadav parted ways after the former decided to join hands with the BJP in July, triggering a battle for the control of the party.
Sharad Yadav claimed that by ending the alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and deserting the greater ‘grand alliance’, Kumar had gone against the party’s national executive’s decision to oppose the BJP. As the rift between the two widened, Yadav held a ‘national executive’ of the JD(U) where Chhotubhai Amarsang Vasava was appointed as the acting president. Vasava approached the Election Commission staking claim over the party and its poll symbol ‘arrow’. Yadav all along maintained that the faction led by him was the real JD(U).
The EC, in its order issued, said the group led by Nitish Kumar has demonstrated overwhelming majority support in the legislature wing as well as the majority in the national council of the party, which is the apex organisational body of the JD(U). “The group led by Nitish Kumar is hereby recognised as the Janata Dal (United) and is entitled to use the reserved symbol ‘Arrow’ of the party as a recognised State Party in Bihar.
