With A Diminished Status of JDU, Who Will Now Steer The Double-Engine Govt In Bihar?

The NDA has sweeped the Bihar elections with 125 seats and it seems that Nitish Kumar may return for a fourth term. But with JDU's poor show in the elctions, will there be a different Cheif ministerial face this time?

New Delhi: With 125 seats in a  243-member Bihar Assembly, the NDA has won the neck and neck Bihar elections that have kept everyone on their toes. If all goes according to plan, then Nitish Kumar will return for a fourth term. But as supporters of NDA celebrate the victory, many are demanding for a BJP Chief Minister. The BJP has been in alliance with JDU for more than 15 years. Even when Nitish Kumar walked out of the Mahagathbandhan in 2017, BJP helped him in returning back to power. While campaigning for the assembly elections, NDA projected Bihar CM and NDA leader Nitish Kumar in the state as the poster boy, the Grand Alliance projected Tejaswi Yadav Throughout the election campaign, leaders from the BJP reiterated that whether JDU is less in number, Nitish Kumar will be the CM. While Nitish Kumar is fighting heavy incumbency, and also battling aggressive allies in BJP and the Chirag Paswan-led LJP, who eventually walked out of the alliance on the poll eve, vowing to unseat Nitish Kumar. BJP is trying to become “Atmanirbhar” in the state, in 2015 the national party bagged 53 seats, while it is currently leading on 73 seats. While Nitish Kumar still enjoys a widespread popularity with many hailing his development work in the state, the election results show that Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JDU) has performed poorly raising questions on whether Kumar will become the CM again. On the other hand since the the BJP does not have the number to form the government on its own which can work as an advantage for Kumar. The BJP has claimed that the results are in favour of the double engine model — with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and chief minister Nitish Kumar in the state. Meanwhile the RJD has alleged election fraud saying that returning officers were not issuing certificates to winning candidates of the Mahagathbandhan