Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reaffirmed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Janata Dal (United) chief. However, he clarified that the final decision on who will head the next government will be taken after the elections, once the newly elected MLAs of the alliance select their leaders.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Shah described Nitish Kumar as “a pivotal figure in India’s socialist politics,” recalling his active participation during the JP Movement and his strong stand against the Congress during the Emergency. “We are fighting the elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also leading our campaign,” Shah said.

When asked about the post-election leadership scenario, Shah stated, “The NDA’s elected MLAs will first choose their leaders, and those leaders will then collectively decide who should become Chief Minister.”

Shah also addressed speculation over seat distribution and leadership balance within the NDA. He reminded that in the 2020 Assembly elections, despite the BJP winning more seats than JD(U), Nitish Kumar was made Chief Minister. “When we won more seats, Nitish Kumar told us that the BJP should lead the government. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he should continue as Chief Minister, and that’s how he took charge,” Shah recalled.

The NDA has announced candidates for all 243 Assembly seats in Bihar. The BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will fight on 29 seats, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest 6 seats each.

Bihar will vote in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.