What Happened When Amit Shah Met Nitish Kumar?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar held a significant meeting ahead of the Bihar elections.
- The NDA has finalized its candidate nominations and seat-sharing arrangement.
- JD(U) emphasized the unity and smooth functioning of the NDA.
- The Grand Alliance is reportedly struggling with internal discord.
- Amit Shah reaffirmed Nitish Kumar's leadership in the election.
Patna, Oct 17 (NationPress) In the midst of intense political maneuvering in Bihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his official residence in Patna on Friday.
The two prominent leaders engaged in discussions regarding critical matters related to the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, focusing on the NDA’s election campaign strategy and candidate nominations.
The duration of the meeting was approximately 15 minutes.
Post-meeting, JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who was in attendance, commented that the discussions were amicable and confirmed that all is well within the NDA.
“The leaders talked about various topics, including the NDA’s campaign strategy. Everything is functioning smoothly here. We have already established the seat-sharing arrangement and announced our candidates for all 243 seats in Bihar. Amit Shah is commencing his campaign today from Saran, while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is heading to Jagdishpur in Bhojpur district for election rallies,” Jha stated.
In a critique of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), Jha accused its leaders of demonstrating a lack of coordination and clarity over seat-sharing arrangements.
“There is no transparency in the Grand Alliance regarding which party will contest how many seats. The alliance has virtually disintegrated. They have issued symbols to candidates, only to retract them later. This indicates a disregard for the people of Bihar — they are preoccupied with their internal disputes,” he alleged.
In response to media speculation regarding Amit Shah’s comments about the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate, Jha clarified that the statement was misrepresented.
“Amit Shah explicitly stated that Nitish Kumar is the NDA’s leader for this election. He represents our face in Bihar, and we are contesting the Assembly elections under his guidance,” Jha affirmed.
According to the seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA, both the BJP and JD(U) are contesting 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJPRV) led by Chirag Paswan is contesting 29 seats, Hindustani Awam Morcha led by Jitan Ram Manjhi is contesting 6 seats, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha led by Upendra Kushwaha is also contesting 6 seats.