Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 29: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday firmly ended speculation over the leadership question in Bihar, announcing that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will contest the upcoming Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“There is no vacancy for Chief Minister in Bihar; there is no confusion. We are contesting the election under the leadership of Nitish Kumar,” Shah said during an interview.

The clarification comes amid heightened political rhetoric from the opposition, particularly RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has repeatedly claimed that the BJP would remove Kumar after the polls. Shah dismissed the allegations outright and took aim at what he called the “dynastic politics” of the opposition alliance.

“Lalu ji wants his son to become CM, and Sonia ji wants her son to become PM. I want to tell them both—there is no space for either of their sons, neither in Bihar nor in Delhi. There’s Modi ji, and in Bihar, there’s Nitish Kumar ji,” Shah asserted.

Highlighting the achievements of the “double-engine government” led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the Home Minister said that Bihar has seen remarkable progress in the last decade. He cited welfare measures such as the distribution of free food grains to over 85 million people and the opening of 6.6 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts as evidence of the government’s focus on inclusive growth.

Shah credited Nitish Kumar with steering Bihar away from the “jungle raj” era and bringing stability and development to the state.

With Assembly elections scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11, and results to be declared on November 14, Shah’s emphatic backing of Nitish Kumar signals the NDA’s commitment to a united front.

As Bihar gears up for a high-stakes election, the contest is shaping up as a direct battle between continuity under Nitish Kumar and the change promised by the Mahagathbandhan.