All eyes are set on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grand rally in Bhagalpur on Monday as politicians, as well as the common people, have been waiting for Modi to announce the NDA’s decision on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming assembly.

BJP leaders have been busy highlighting that Modi will release more than Rs 22,700 crore of Kisan Samman Nidhi funds that will benefit 9.8 crore farmers across the country. They hope this will set the tone for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections in favour of the BJP.

Advertisement

On the other hand, JDU leaders as well as those of other alliance partners of the NDA are not too enthusiastic about it. The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a Central government scheme which is seen as the BJP’s offering to the farmers.

Opposition parties have dubbed it as just another ‘Jumla’ to divert people’s attention from the actual issues they have been facing in the state.
Political observers believe that these kinds of announcements will not help the NDA win people’s support. People have not forgotten PM Modi’s tall promises made earlier.

Veteran journalist Ajay Kumar said, “If the BJP leadership is serious about contesting the upcoming assembly elections with an aim to form the next NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar, Modi must announce it now. This is the first major rally and it will certainly set the tone in the NDA’s favour. Any delay will only hamper the alliance’s political fortune.”

There is a lack of trust among the NDA partners. Despite Nitish Kumar’s repeated assurance that the JDU will contest the elections as NDA partner, the JDU leaders as well as political observers are not convinced that the scenario will remain the same even after the elections.

“If the BJP wants to repeat Maharashtra’s experience in Bihar, it must realise that Nitish Kumar is not Eknath Shinde. Top NDA leadership must clear the confusion as soon as possible,” he said.

The confusion started with Amit Shah’s cryptic remark over the CM face in 2025 leading to the speculations that the BJP might not bank on Nitish Kumar’s face this time.

Although the state BJP leaders have reposed faith in Nitish Kumar’s leadership, no comment has come from central leaders PM Modi, Amit Shah or JP Nadda. It shows that all is not well between the BJP and JDU.