BJP silent on CM pick, to bank on Modi factor in Bihar

Remaining non-committal about its Chief Ministerial candidate for Assembly polls in Bihar, Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go to the hustings by projecting its development agenda under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Describing the upcoming Bihar assembly polls as a contest between the ‘jungle raj’ of Lalu-Nitish Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad and senior Janata Dal (United) JD(U)) leader Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development and good governance agendas, Kumar told reporters here that the electorate will embrace the Prime Minister’s agendas and reject Lalu and Nitish, who symbolized ‘jungle raj’.

“I am confident that the electorate of Bihar will reject the jungle raj being fostered by Lalu and Nitish during the assembly polls,” the Union Minister said.

Describing the decision as nothing unusual, he said, “In last one year, we have contested assembly elections in different states in the name of Modi, we will follow the same trend in Bihar.” On June 8, ruling Janata <g data-gr-id="35">Dal United</g> (JDU), RJD, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party combine declared Nitish Kumar as its CM candidate and dared BJP to name its CM candidate.

BJP is going to contest the state election along with Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party. The decision over roping in former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani <g data-gr-id="36">Awam</g> Party (HAP) into the BJP fold is yet to be taken. However, Manjhi has extended  “unconditional” support to the NDA.

Recently, Anandraj Ambedkar, grandson of B R Ambedkar, accused BJP of trying to use Manjhi to 

garner Dalit votes in the assembly elections. With the current scenario, it is possible that if BJP won the Bihar election, they will project a <g data-gr-id="32">dalit</g> as their CM candidate.

On January 14, Millennium Post was first to report that BJP is not going to announce <g data-gr-id="28">its</g> CM candidate in Bihar.

Sources said, Shah - despite being worried over Janata Parivar - set a target of “Mission 185” in the state.