A day before the Lok Sabha poll results, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. However, there has been no official communication regarding the specifics of the meeting.
Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) is a constituent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – perceived as a diminishing, though still significant – force in the state amid strong efforts by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to contest the ruling coalition.
The Chief Minister has held office in Bihar since 2005, except for a brief period. Uncertainties have arisen regarding his future, given the prominence of the BJP and the RJD as the two major political entities in the state.
JD(U) demands early assembly polls
NDA ally, JD(U) has demanded early Assembly polls in the state in unison with the Centre’s “one nation, one election” pitch.
However, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) clarified that this was not connected to the meeting between Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and PM Modi on Monday.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, the party’s national spokesperson and former Rajya Sabha MP, K C Tyagi, said, “Let us make it clear that CM Nitish Kumar meeting with PM was just a courtesy call. The CM had come to Delhi for his routine eye check-up and had sought time from PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.”
He also said the JD(U) had always favoured simultaneous polls.
The JD(U) leader also brushed aside any concerns regarding the timing of the party’s demand. “It has nothing to do with timing. We had even told the panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind (on One Nation, One Election) that we were in favour of the idea. It is on record,” he said.