India News | Bihar Bypoll Results Show People's Faith in Nitish Kumar Remains Intact: Sanjay Kumar Jha

New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The Bihar bypoll results have made it clear that people do not consider the RJD as an option even if they may have some grievances with the Nitish Kumar-led government, a senior JD(U) leader said on Wednesday, asserting that Kumar remains the unanimous leader of the ruling NDA in the state.

With the JD(U) buoyed by the poll win after repulsing the challenge from a resurgent RJD, Jha, a minister in the state government who is considered a confidant of Kumar, said people's faith in the chief minister remains intact and his dispensation will complete its full term despite the contrarian claims of the opposition party.

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Speaking to PTI, Jha said there is no lack of coordination between the JD(U) leadership and "those who matter" in the BJP at state and national level as he played down the comments from some BJP leaders, including ministers in the Bihar government, that seem to undermine the chief minister.

"Nitish Kumar was and is the unanimous leader of the NDA. The bypoll results have proved that people's faith in him remains intact, and they look at him to address their grievances which they may have due to heightened expectations because of the work of his government. They never had any expectation when the RJD ruled," he said.

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The JD(U) managed to beat back the RJD to retain Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur seats in its kitty in the bypolls held after the death of their sitting MLAs.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav had mounted an all-out campaign in the hope that a loss for the JD(U) will further dent Kumar's standing after his party's underwhelming performance in the 2020 assembly polls and may destabilise the ruling coalition, which has the BJP as its biggest member and two smaller allies besides the JD(U).

Yadav's RJD had emerged as the single largest party in the 2020 polls.

What is clear is that people do not want to look back at the RJD as an option, Jha said, adding that in his campaign he would often ask people about the time it took them to travel to Patna during Lalu Prasad's rule and it took now, and the number of hours of electricity they had then and now.

He was given the charge of Kusheshwar Asthan by the JD(U) leadership and remained in the constituency for over 25 days to spearhead the party's campaign.

Taking a swipe at Tejashwi Yadav, Jha said he think that he can get votes with his social media posts and by campaigning during elections even though he "disappears" otherwise.

"He kept seeking votes in the bypolls saying the RJD will form government if it wins. People have again given their verdict, and their faith in Kumar remains intact," he added.

In his over 15 years of rule, Kumar has created an "inclusive" politics which fetches him votes from all sections of society, the JD(U) general secretary said, asserting that women have emerged as a pillar of support for him as his policy decision like giving them reservation in local bodies and jobs have caused a "silent reservation" and brought to fore a new generation of "empowered women".

Jha noted that 44 woman voters-only booths in Kusheshwar Asthan saw 65 per cent polling compared to the average 51 per cent voting, perceived to be an indication of their enthusiastic support for the JD(U).

He blamed the "confusion" created by some people, a reference to Chirag Paswan's LJP, for the JD(U) falling to the third place behind the RJD and the BJP in the 2020 polls. The LJP fought the two bypolls as well but nobody noticed them this time, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)