Bihar polls win example of Nitish Kumar’s acceptance as leader: Vijay Kumar Choudhary

In a conversation with HT, Bihar’s water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary light on how the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earned a landslide mandate from the people of Bihar

Bihar’s water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the charge of Parliamentary Affairs, won for the seventh time - fourth time in a row from the Sarairanjan seat in Samastipur. A close associate of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, he said the verdict in the 2025 Assembly election is a reflection of people’s trust in the state’s transformation since 2005, which the Opposition mistook it as anti-incumbency. In a conversation with HT, Choudhary sheds light on how the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earned a landslide mandate from the people of Bihar. Edited excerpts:

He said NDA remained a cohesive unit and the enthusiastic response of the people encouraged us from the outset. (Vijay Kumar Choudhary | Official X account)

How do you see the landslide verdict for NDA?

It is a reflection of how people respond when they develop faith in the government. It is a stamp of approval for the brand of development politics Nitish Kumar has done in Bihar over the past two decades. And above all, it is also an example of Nitish Kumar’s acceptance as a leader who has no match in the eyes of the people.

Nitish Kumar started his campaign from your constituency, and it turned out to be a good omen?

It was an honour and it proved to be a good omen for me, too, as it sent positive vibes in my constituency, Sarairanjan in Samastipur district. Samastipur has always been very dear to Nitish Kumar due to the legacy of Bharat Ratna and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur. The PM also started his poll campaign from Karpoorigram in Samastipur and he also mentioned it in his speech on Friday night.

Did you expect this kind of a landslide victory?

Nobody expects results, but works for it. We worked hard not only during the election, but also for a full five years. Nitish Kumar has a vision and he works accordingly. NDA remained a cohesive unit and the enthusiastic response of the people encouraged us from the outset. What Nitish has done over the years is that he has made people aspirational. They now want more development, more growth. The opposition mistook it for anti-incumbency, while it was a huge pro-incumbency, as they have expectations from Nitish Kumar, who has always delivered. The negativity of the Opposition and their desperation only made our task easier.

How do you see the road from here?

We have to work harder now, as such a mandate means increased responsibility. Bihar now has got its basics right and the next phase would be to take it on the path of rapid development with proper planning and execution. If Bihar grows, its people will grow and that is what inclusive development is all about. Nitish Kumar has been fully in command, as his actions in terms of welfare initiatives and development projects indicate.

The Opposition still questions the ₹10,000 incentive to women ahead of polls as the game changer?

That was a well thought out decision on the part of Nitish Kumar. Having fulfilled the basic needs like roads, electricity and water to the people, the women were given the money under the employment scheme to make them self-reliant. He earlier gave them incentives for education and then provided reservation in jobs and grassroots governance. So, it is to be seen in that context as a continuous process. But the opposition will always say something.

How do you see attacks on Nitish for his health and speculations about his continuance as CM? Did it prove counter productive for the Opposition?

This was sheer propaganda, and it badly boomeranged. Nitish Kumar led the NDA campaign in Bihar and he was the face. He remained more focused, committed and active, covering constituency after constituency despite bad weather and even by road. He is a leader people look up to for the way he ignited hope and aspiration in a state nobody wanted to bet on till 2005. It will be hard to find another Nitish. After 20 years as CM, he remains the only choice for the Bihar people and that speaks a lot. Even during the entire campaigning, the entire NDA was one on his projection as the face of the alliance and there was not even an iota of dissent from the people.