What Did CM Nitish Kumar and Amit Shah Discuss in Their Closed-Door Meeting?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Nitish Kumar and Amit Shah meet to discuss NDA strategies.
- The meeting may influence the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections.
- Reports of tension in seat allocation within the NDA.
- Allies like LJP and Hindustani Awam Morcha are pushing for representation.
- Shah's visit aims to strengthen the BJP's position in Bihar.
Patna, Sep 18 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, and the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, conducted a private meeting at Hotel Maurya in Patna, igniting significant political conjecture in light of the upcoming state Assembly elections.
In attendance were Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and Sanjay Jha.
Reports indicate that the dialogue focused on seat-sharing arrangements and the overarching electoral strategy for the NDA in Bihar.
This marks the first substantial formal meeting between Nitish Kumar and Amit Shah since Kumar's reintegration into the NDA in 2024.
Political analysts believe that the results of this meeting could greatly influence Bihar's pre-election landscape.
There have been ongoing reports of tensions within the NDA regarding seat allocation. Both the BJP and JD(U) are eager to assert their influence, while coalition partners are increasing their demands.
The LJP (Ram Vilas), under the leadership of Chirag Paswan, has called for “respectable” representation, with Jamui MP Arun Bharti suggesting a claim for between 43 and 137 seats.
The Hindustani Awam Morcha, led by Jitan Ram Manjhi, is pushing for 20 seats.
Amit Shah is currently on a two-day visit to Bihar, where he plans to conduct a series of high-level organizational meetings aimed at bolstering the BJP in preparation for the 2025 Assembly elections.
On Thursday, Shah will visit Dehri in Rohtas district to engage with grassroots party members.
This area is particularly crucial for the BJP, as they secured only two out of 20 seats in the Shahabad belt during the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, which encompasses Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur, and Buxar districts.
Following his meeting in Rohtas, Shah will head to Begusarai, where he is anticipated to lead another session with local MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and district presidents to devise the election strategy and address organizational hurdles.
Insiders within the party suggest that Shah’s visit is part of a broader strategy to revitalize areas of weakness and mobilize party supporters in regions where they did not perform well in 2020.