Bihar Assembly Elections 2020: BJP distances itself from Chirag Paswan; Amit Shah says Nitish will be NDA’s CM
Ahead of Bihar Assembly elections 2020, Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought to clear the ‘confusion’ being created by Chirag Paswan and asserted that JDU’s Nitish Kumar will be NDA’s CM face in Bihar.
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah has distanced the BJP from Chirag Paswan and asserted that JDU chief Nitish Kumar will be NDA’s Chief Minister candidate in Bihar. With Assembly elections less than a fortnight away, Chirag had claimed that he was a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he would want to see a BJP CM in Bihar with the help of his party LJP. Many believe that his claim was an attempt to use Prime Minister Modi’s aura to woo voters in favour of LJP. This is the reason Amit Shah came out to clear the confusion among voters that Nitish Kumar will be NDA’s CM in Bihar if they return to power.
Shah clarified that it was Chirag Paswan’s LJP that parted ways with the NDA and currently there are only four constituents in NDA and LJP is not among them. In an interview with News 18, the home minister said that BJP leadership did have a conversation with Chirag Paswan and it was conveyed to him that his differences with Nitish can be sorted out but he never agreed.
“We have got a new ally in JDU in this election so it was obvious seat share of every NDA constituent will come down. Even BJP is fighting on less number of seats. We could not reach consensus with Chirag Paswan,” Shah said.
When asked how many seats Paswan had demanded, Shah refused to divulge the details and said that NDA will win three fourth seats and form government in Bihar. Chirag himself left the NDA.”
The BJP has already announced to contest the elections together with JDU under current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. However, NDA ally at the Centre, the Lok Janshakti Party had decided to fight the elections on its own. Chirag had differences with Nitish Kumar and he has openly pledged to defeat him and form a government with the BJP.
Elections for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held from October 28 in three phases. The results will be announced on November 10, 2020.
