Joining ‘Mahagathbandhan’ was mistake: Nitish Kumar reaffirms commitment to NDA

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday re-affirmed his commitment to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying emphatically that he would not re-join the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in the future.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader said this during a high-level NDA meeting here during which the leaders of the alliance displayed a strong show of unity and declared their commitment to contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

Reflecting on his past decisions to ally with the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, also known as the Grand Alliance, Nitish Kumar admitted those moves were mistakes he made on the advice of senior leaders in his party (JD-U). He, however, did not name any individual.

During the meeting, NDA leaders collectively set an ambitious goal to win over 220 seats, signaling a clear intent to reinforce the alliance’s strength.

Nitish Kumar also urged the NDA leaders to deepen their outreach by organising similar meetings at the Panchayat and block levels, emphasising the importance of functioning as a united front rather than individual parties.

After the meeting, Bihar unit BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said that the NDA will contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Jaiswal said that the NDA has set an ambitious goal of surpassing the number of seats won in the 2020 elections.

During the meeting, key topics discussed included addressing public discomfort with policies like liquor prohibition and the controversial smart meter installations, both of which have stirred criticism and became major points for the opposition to raise.

Nitish Kumar urged the NDA leaders to actively counter misinformation spread by the Opposition, saying the Grand Alliance had misled and cheated the people of Bihar.

To strengthen the NDA’s outreach, Nitish Kumar outlined a strategy involving Assembly (segment) level conferences across the state, ensuring that future programmes are well-coordinated and shared within the alliance.

During the meeting, senior leaders from various NDA allies, including all NDA Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), among others were present.

The meeting is being seen as the NDA’s first significant step towards the preparation for the 2025 Assembly elections, serving as a critical organisational push.

The upcoming by-elections in four Assembly seats in Bihar are viewed as a preliminary test, or semi-final, for the NDA’s strategy and unity ahead of the main assembly elections.

Political analysts believe that in this context, the meeting has an added significance, as it marks a united front and clarifies campaign goals for the coalition in both the by-elections and the larger 2025 contest.

IANS