‘25 se 30, Phir se Nitish’ poster comes up near JD(U) office

Patna: A day after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant, reminded the BJP about Union home minister Amit Shah's "commitment" to his father, the JD(U) put up a big poster outside its party office, here on Wednesday, claiming the 74-year-old would continue in his post for another term.
The poster read "25 se 30, Phir se Nitish", sending a clear message that the party doesn't see anybody else as the CM face.
The poster assumes significance in light of Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini's recent comment that "the flag of victory would be unfurled in Bihar by (BJP deputy CM) Samrat Choudhary" after the next assembly elections, scheduled later this year.
Nitish has been the CM since Nov 2005, barring a brief period of nine months — May 2014 to Feb 2015 — when dalit politician Jitan Ram Manjhi served as his successor.
Defending the poster, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told TOI, "The NDA has already decided that the next assembly elections will be fought under Nitish Kumar. So, there is no confusion about his leadership."
He added that Nitish continued as the CM after leading the NDA in the 2020 assembly polls. "So, where is the confusion? If he (Nitish) leads the 2025 assembly campaign, this obviously means he will continue to be the CM from 2025 to 2030," the JD(U) spokesperson said.
The JD(U) poster comes barely a day after Nishant reminding the BJP about the commitment it had made to his father about the CM post. "Kyon nahin banayegi (CM)? Abhi Amit (Shah) uncle bolkar gaye hain ki CM banenge pitaji. Samrat Choudhary ne kaha hai… Koi sawal nahi uthta hai (Why won't he become the CM? Amit (Shah) uncle just said that my father will become the CM, Samrat Choudhary has said it. There is no question about it)," Nishant told reporters in Patna on Tuesday. He was responding to the opposition's allegation that the BJP may replace Nitish after the elections.