Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday said that "who won how many seats [in Bihar Assembly polls] is irrelevant". The statement is an indication that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could get his fourth term as chief minister even though his JD(U) won far fewer seats than the BJP.
The BJP has won 74 seats in the election while the JD(U) has won 43. This is the first time the BJP has gained more seats than the JD(U) in a Bihar Assembly election.
The BJP's strong performance had led to speculation the saffron party could push to replace Nitish as chief minister even though the NDA had projected the incumbent as its candidate.
Sushil Modi, a BJP leader, was quoted by NDTV as saying, "Nitishji will remain chief minister as it was our commitment. There is no confusion on this.”
Sushil Modi was quoted by ANI as saying, "I thank the people of Bihar that they expressed their faith in NDA for the fourth time. It's not ordinary. In Indian politics there are very few CMs whom people trusted for the fourth time. They have given a clear mandate to NDA, there is no confusion."
"In an alliance, not all parties win equal number of seats. Who won how many seats is irrelevant, people voted for NDA. BJP played a role in JD(U)'s victory and JD(U) played a role in BJP's victory. JD(U), BJP, VIP and HAM worked together, then we registered this victory," Sushil Modi was quoted as saying by ANI.
If Nitish continues as chief minister, he would be sworn in for the seventh time into the position. However, the relationship between the BJP and JD(U) is expected to be different, as the BJP will be the senior partner in the alliance.
