Bihar Assembly election 2025 will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership, said Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Cabinet minister Vijay Chaudhary.
The development has come day after Lok Sabha results and ahead of two crucial meetings -- one led by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and second by INDIA bloc -- as both the blocks are slated to discuss election results and further strategy to form the government at the Centre.
With the BJP falling short of a majority in the Lok Sabha and needing the NDA allies to form the government at the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) head Nitish Kumar and TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu have emerged as potential kingmakers.
While Kumar's party was leading or had won 12 seats, the TDP was leading or had won 16 Lok Sabha seats, according to the latest election commission data.
The NDA was stirred into life mostly around elections in the last 10 years as the BJP's big majority and shrinking opposition in Lok Sabha made its allies mostly redundant but with the saffron party winning about 240 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha this time around, allies will matter more than ever.
Kumar's relationship with BJP goes back to the mid-1990s when Kumar had collaborated with veteran socialist leader late George Fernandes to float the Samata Party, as a revolt against Lalu Prasad, the then chief minister of Bihar, who had acquired an overbearing presence in the Janata Dal founded by former prime minister VP Singh.
The alliance with BJP, which ruled the country from 1998 to 2004, also provided much-needed exposure to Kumar who held key portfolios like agriculture, railways and surface transport in the cabinet of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
However, it was not until 2005 that the moment of glory came for Kumar, whose party was by now known as JD(U), formed after the merger of the Samata Party with yet another rebel Janata faction headed by late Sharad Yadav.
The JD(U)-BJP combine won the assembly polls, and Kumar became the chief minister, a post held by Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi for 15 years.
With inputs from PTI
