Chief Minister said that by 2025, his government would have delivered 12 lakh jobs in the government and generated 34 lakh employment opportunities.
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Saturday that the Janata Dal (United) will participate in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections as part of the National Democratic Alliance, with the objective of securing 220 out of the 243 available seats.
He also committed to creating 1.2 million jobs prior to the state elections.
As the national president of the JDU, Nitish addressed the party’s state executive in Patna for approximately 45 minutes, focusing on the upcoming Assembly elections. The meeting was attended by around 400 senior leaders, excluding Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, the JDU executive president and Rajya Sabha member, provided insights into the private discussions held during the meeting. The Chief Minister set a target of 220 seats for the party in 2025, reminding attendees that the NDA had successfully won 206 seats in the 2010 Assembly elections. He urged party leaders and workers to engage with the public and emphasize the welfare initiatives undertaken by the state government, as reported by Jha.
Jha further noted that Nitish was encouraged by the JDU’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, which contributed to the NDA’s victory in 30 out of 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar. He expressed satisfaction with the party’s lead in 77 Assembly seats during the general elections.
Nitish highlighted that the state government has already created 700,000 jobs and announced plans to provide an additional 1.2 million jobs to the youth before the Assembly elections.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the BJP president for granting Bihar a “special financial status,” which the state had been pursuing in the absence of “special category status.”
Subsequently, the Janata Dal (United) (JDU) passed a resolution affirming its intention to participate in the 2025 Assembly elections as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, thereby dispelling any rumors regarding his potential retirement. Concerns about his health have persisted for several months.
This decision was perceived as a proactive strategy in light of possible changes the BJP might consider regarding the leadership of the NDA for the state elections and the selection of a chief ministerial candidate.
During the 2020 state elections, Nitish had declared that it would be his final electoral contest, although his party later characterized this statement as an emotional appeal.
Additional resolutions adopted by the party included a “sangat-pangat (meet and dine)” initiative aimed at fostering better coordination among the workers of all allied parties to effectively counter opposition narratives. The leaders and members of the former Samata Party, established by socialist leader George Fernandes and Nitish in 1994, which served as a precursor to the JDU, will be honored and integrated into the JDU.
The JDU has resolved to deploy ten workers at each polling booth to enhance its grassroots presence during the elections. The party also emphasized that Nitish’s initiatives align with the principles of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
Ahead of the state executive meeting, posters advocating for the Bharat Ratna award for Nitish appeared outside the JDU office and other significant locations in the state capital.
Jha remarked, “I am unaware of the posters, but it would be a matter of pride for Bihar if such an honor were conferred upon our leader. His efforts have transformed the perception of the term ‘Bihari’ from a derogatory label to a point of pride. He embodies the greatness of historical figures like Chandragupta Maurya.”
In the upcoming Assembly election next year, we anticipate securing over 220 seats in conjunction with the NDA, stated Mr. Kumar.
Following the meeting, Sanjay Jha, the working president of JD(U) and a participant in the gathering alongside other senior party leaders, provided a briefing to the media.
This meeting marked the inaugural session of the newly formed State Executive Committee, during which our leader, Nitish-ji, addressed the party leaders for approximately 45 minutes. He offered guidance regarding the forthcoming Assembly election and urged us to campaign based on the achievements of the State government. He emphasized the importance of obtaining special category status or a special package from the Centre for Bihar. He assigned responsibilities not only to JD(U) but also to the NDA to secure 220 seats, which exceeds our performance in the 2010 Assembly election, remarked Mr. Jha.
In the 2010 Assembly election, JD(U) contested 141 seats while the BJP fielded candidates for 110 seats. Mr. Kumar’s party achieved victory in 115 seats, whereas the BJP won 91 seats. Consequently, the ruling coalition secured a total of 206 Assembly seats in the 243-member House. In comparison to the 2005 election, JD(U) increased its seat count by 27, while the BJP saw a gain of 36 seats.
In 2005, JD(U) won 88 out of the 139 seats it contested, while its ally, the BJP, secured 55 out of the 102 seats it contested. Senior JD(U) leader and Bihar Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary expressed confidence that under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership, the NDA will outperform its previous electoral results in 2025.
Although the State Assembly election is scheduled for 2025, the process of seat allocation among the NDA allies, following the inclusion of the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV), the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), and the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), may prove to be a complex undertaking.
Sources indicate that JD(U) aims to contest 120 seats, a number that the BJP has also claimed. Mr. Kumar has reportedly requested that the BJP accommodate its three allies (LJP-RV, HAM-S, and RLM) within its own allocation.
A senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said the BJP may agree to contesting 100 seats so that the JD(U) had 100 to contest, and the remaining 43 seats would be divided between the three allies.
Presently, the JD(U) is playing the role of ‘big brother’ in Bihar despite having fewer numbers in the Assembly following its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, in which the party emerged stronger and played an important role in supporting the BJP in forming the government at the Centre.
Before the meeting, JD(U) leader Chotu Singh had grabbed the limelight by putting up a poster demanding a Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, for Mr. Kumar.
