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As Bihar heads for high-stakes polls, BJP’s declaration that “there’s no vacancy” for the CM post nearly seals Nitish Kumar’s role as NDA’s leader, even as the alliance ridicules the opposition’s choice of Tejashwi Yadav as chief ministerial face.
BJP reportedly confirms Nitish Kumar as NDA’s CM face for Bihar polls.
Patna: In a strong signal ahead of the Bihar assembly elections in November, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday effectively confirmed Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial face of the NDA, shutting down speculation about leadership within the coalition.
“Nitish Kumar is the leader and CM of the NDA government in Bihar. People of the state trust him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver on their promises,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Patna.
When asked whether the NDA would announce a CM face formally, Prasad quipped, “Where is a vacancy?” — a statement that reinforced Kumar’s position and hinted at unity within the BJP-JDU-LJP (Ram Vilas) alliance.
The BJP-led alliance launched a fierce attack on the INDIA bloc after the opposition named RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate. Calling it a “shameful alliance of corruption and opportunism,” Prasad reminded reporters that Tejashwi is an accused in the IRCTC land-for-jobs scam, with charges framed under Section 420 of the IPC.
“The court has termed this a very serious case of corruption,” Prasad said, adding that the opposition’s choice showed “moral bankruptcy” in Bihar politics.
Mahagathbandhan Press Conference: Will Tejashwi Yadav officially emerge as Bihar’s CM face?
BJP’s ally and Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary accused the RJD of “torturing its allies” and warned that the INDIA bloc wanted to bring back “jungle raj” in the state.
“This is a day of shame for Bihar,” Choudhary said. “They are promising to make the son of a thief the chief minister for the sake of power.”
LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan also took a swipe at the alliance, saying the Congress was humiliated at the opposition press conference. “Congress was invisible — it’s now just a passenger in RJD’s vehicle,” he mocked.
Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor ridiculed Tejashwi’s job promise, saying, “The one who now promises three crore jobs should first explain what his parents did when they were in power.”
NDA slams INDIA bloc for naming Tejashwi Yadav as CM face amid corruption charges.
The alleged scam dates back to 2004–2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav, as railway minister, allegedly granted hotel contracts in exchange for land transferred to a firm linked to his family. Both Lalu and Tejashwi deny wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated.
The JDU took a dig at reports that VIP chief Mukesh Sahani was promised a deputy CM post, saying, “Laddoos for 2.6% of Mallahs, pumpkins for 18% of Muslims. Are Muslims there only to scare them to vote?”
UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya added that the RJD-Congress tie-up was “a mismatched game,” reminding that Lalu was jailed under a Congress regime.
BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok accused the Congress of “selling its self-respect” by agreeing to Tejashwi’s projection. “Rahul Gandhi’s photo wasn’t even on the poster,” he said. “Let November 14 come — they’ll be fighting among themselves.”
