Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday silenced his alliance partners by saying “I am in no hurry to become the CM of Bihar. My only target is to defeat BJP in 2024 general election,”

Tejashwi, while rejecting his party MLA from Dinara assembly segment Vijay Mandal, said: “We have our mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) leader Nitish Kumar as chief minister. Why should I be in a hurry? My focus is on the 2024 general poll not the post of the CM. The mahagathbandhan will resist the fascist forces in the coming poll next year”.

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Tejashwi Prasad Yadav  made this statement in Gaya on Wednesday setting aside all kinds of speculations about him. His party MLA Vijay Mandal had claimed that CM Nitish Kumar will hand over the CM’s post to Tejeshwi next month. “He will be sworn in as the Bihar CM after the Holi festival sometime in March,” Mandal told a section of media.

The war of words between the ruling alliance and the Opposition continues in the state. Soon after the formation of Upendra Kushwaha’s new party – Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal( RLJD) – Bihar’s BJP president Sanjay Jayaswal paid a visit to Kushwaha which he termed as a “courtesy call”.  Their meeting has raised speculations among the ruling alliance partners.

Kushwaha made it more obvious by praising PM Narendra Modi. “Modi has no challenge in the 2024 polls. The people of India are only looking at Modi as the next PM again. Dozens of politicians are unecessarily fighting to grab this post.”

He also said that dozens of JDU legislators are in contact with me only because CM has already announced that the next CM candidate would be from RJD not from JDU.

Kushwaha goes on to say that if the election is held today, JDU will not get a single seat. “I have not seen CM Nitish Kumar as weak as he is today,” he said.

Kushwaha’s praise for Modi is viewed as significant ahead of union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Bihar on February 25.

Nitish Kumar, while reacting to Kushwaha’s praise for Modi, says, “Sach saamne aa gayi naa” (truth has come out). Nitish reiterated that despite opposition by all our party leaders, I had included him in the party. He virtually pleased me for joining the party in 2021, CM told reporters.

Following the footsteps of the CM, Kushwaha has also decided to undertake his Yatra from Bhitiharwa in West Champaran from February 28. He termed his Yatra “Virasat Bachao Naman Yatra”. After passing through several districts on the way he will terminate it in Siwan on March 6.

In the second phase of Yatra, he will start from Patna on March 15 and terminate it at Arwal on March 20, he told reporters on Wednesday.

Bihar is politically hot now ahead of Holi festival with two major political rallies in Bihar on February 25. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public rally at Lauriya high school ground in Valmikinagar parliamentary segment on February 25. The state party leaders are making hectic preparations to make this rally a historic one. BJP leader and a former minister Jibesh Mishra while monitoring the preparation of the rally said that this massive rally will create history in Bihar.

Similarly, the Mahagathbandhan rally at Rangbhumi maidan in Purnia is also on February 25. Hectic preparations at the block and district levels are on to

Make Purnia rally a historic one. All the major leaders are expecting a huge gathering at the rally which will launch a decisive battle to “oust Modi” ahead of 2024 polls.