BJP allies JD(U) and LJP may have done well in the general election but they are unlikely to wield much power at the Centre because the saffron party continues to hold the majority in the Lok Sabha on its own.
This is the first time JD (U) chief and Bihar chief minister
Nitish Kumar has campaigned for Narendra Modi’s re-election as prime minister, shedding the image of being a Modi critic which he had acquired during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
He returned to the NDA fold in July 2017 and made it public that he wants to stay in Bihar politics in his role as the chief minister.
Kumar toured the state extensively to campaign for his party and its allies—the BJP and LJP. During his speech, he focussed on Modi’s achievements as the PM. He also highlighted the importance of Modi’s continuation as PM for Bihar’s development.
Kumar also spoke of national security as an important poll issue.
Like Kumar,
Ram Vilas Paswan, who leads the LJP, also gave special attention to the problem of terrorism. Paswan’s family members
Chirag Paswan, Ramchandra Paswan and Pashupati Paras contested the elections from Jamui, Samastipur and Hajipur and won.
Paswan has not contested this election. He has already got offer from the BJP to enter Rajya Sabha. “His son Chirag is likely to become a minister in the union government,” a source in LJP said.