Janata Dal (United) national working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha on Tuesday hailed the political journey of Bihar under outgoing chief minister Nitish Kumar. He said the current government, as well as those to come, would continue to work under Kumar’s guidance.
The statement comes as political discussions continue in Bihar over leadership matters. The NDA is scheduled to meet at 4 pm in the central hall of the Bihar legislative assembly, where the legislature party leader will decide the name of the next chief minister. Follow live updates related to new Bihar CM announcement here.
JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha on Bihar CM announcement
While speaking to reporters about the developments in the state, Jha said Bihar had seen a major change under Nitish Kumar, which brought back a sense of pride among the people.
"This is an emotional moment for the 140 million people of Bihar. We always say that we felt ashamed to say we are Bihari before Nitish ji's arrival, and after his arrival, Bihar's respect and prestige remained intact..." he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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{{/usCountry}}He also spoke about Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar’s growing involvement in party work and said that his future role would be decided collectively by party members.
"Nishant Kumar is active in politics. He has joined the party and is strengthening the party organisation. He is meeting with everyone, and his job is to understand the entire party very intelligently and offer suggestions together. Whatever his role will be in the future, whether within the party or otherwise, will be decided by the party members..." he added.
The JD(U) national working president also said that the governance system in Bihar would continue to centre around Nitish Kumar for many years.
"As far as this government is concerned, whichever Chief Minister is there, whichever government will be formed, it will be Nitish Kumar's. This government will function under the support and guidance of Nitish Kumar for the next 25-30 years and beyond. His guidance will always be with this government. His suggestions will always be with this government..." Jha added.
Who will be next Bihar CM?
As Bihar gets ready for a BJP-led government, deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary is being seen as the leading contender to take over.
The BJP legislature party will meet in Patna on Tuesday under the watch of central observer Shivraj Singh Chouhan to choose its leader. The name will then be approved by NDA lawmakers, which will effectively confirm Bihar’s next chief minister.
Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United) has also been involved in talks over the structure of the new NDA government in the state.
With inputs from agencies