NDA will win more than 200 seats in next assembly elections: Nitish Kumar

The Bihar CM said the NDA coalition will win more than 200 assembly seats and bag all 40 Lok Sabha seats under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday asserted in the state assembly that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win more than 200 seats (in the 243-member assembly) in the next assembly elections.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar with his deputies Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary of the BJP in Patna. (PTI Photo)

Replying to the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address to the joint session of the assembly, Kumar said the united NDA coalition, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will win more than 200 assembly seats and bag all 40 Lok Sabha seats under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I wish all (coalition leaders) will work in tandem and stay together and win more than 200 seats,” he said.

Kumar, however, lost his cool amid sloganeering by the opposition and said that they were doing so because the state was providing good treatment at all government hospitals. “You wanted everyone to die”.

Members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, led by former chief minister Rabri Devi, had trooped to the well of the house against Kumar for switching sides and blaming the earlier Mahagathbandhan (MGB) for creating such a situation. Earlier, a verbal exchange ensued between the treasury and opposition members when ruling BJP and Janata Dal (United) members alleged that the RJD was not happy with the Bharat Ratna bestowed upon late social justice activist and politician Karpoori Thakur.

The CM, who rose to reply on the motion of thanks amidst sloganeering, said that they (RJD leaders) got enraged because the government has enhanced policing. “I decided to come out (of the MGB) after its leaders began indulging in corruption through illegal means. Everything will be inquired, and the guilty will be taken to task,” the CM said.

“I cannot allow people to be reckless and commit irregularities in government schemes. Everything will be scrutinised closely, and harsh action will be taken against those indulging in wrongdoing,” the chief minister said, adding that the NDA government is focused on providing jobs and creating huge employment opportunities for the youth of Bihar.