Patna: Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar on Monday said that recent bypoll results were of no consequence and no one should be in doubt about the results of 2019 general election as the NDA would sail through comfortably.
Addressing the press after weekly Lok Samvad Program at his office in Patna, Nitish Kumar reminded how he had predicted BJP’s victory in Gujarat.
"Result of the 2019 (Lok Sabha election) is a forgone conclusion. Rajasthan by poll results carry no significance. Remember how we lost bypolls before 2010 assembly elections, but registered landslide victory just months after that. Let the opposition feel that they have a chance but the real result will be different," said Nitish.
The Rajasthan bypoll result seems to have emboldened NDA allies in Bihar to seek a bigger share of seats for the next Assembly elections. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s, Hindustani Awam Morcha, has demanded 50 seatsfor his party in 2020 Bihar elections. The other NDA constituent vying for a bigger share of the electoral pie is Upendra Kushwaha. Kushwaha had also been critical of Nitish Kumar, but seemed to have warmed up to the CM after the JD(U)'s return to the NDA, despite his party not getting any state ministerial berths. But now Kushwaha has upped the ante and his party leaders claim that no government can be formed in Bihar without its support. They have also pitched Kushwaha as a CM probable.
Nitish Kumar, though, has played down differences within the NDA constituents in Bihar.
"This is an open arena. Every political party has right to do what they like. These are not so important issues but being created by few for their vested interest," Nitish said.
The Bihar chief minister lauded initiatives taken in the budget saying thrust on rural sector and farmers would eventually benefit Bihar.
On the issue of special category status for Bihar, he said that this demand was still intact but the Narendra Modi led central government was helping us in a big way.
"We are preparing state budget and had an idea about how much we will get from the Centre. Now we have come to know that Bihar will get RS 76,000 crore. I would like to tell you that this figure is higher than we had expected," said Nitish.
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