Will win 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, claims RJD chief Lalu Prasad

BJP leader and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary takes a jibe and says Lalu has been dreaming to return to power for the past 18 years

After the grand victory of the INDIA bloc in neighbouring Jharkhand, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Friday (November 29, 2024) claimed that the Mahagathbandhan will form the government in Bihar when Assembly elections are held next year.

To a question, Mr. Prasad told the media, “When the elections are held next year, we [Mahagathbandhan] will form the government with majority.”

Reacting to the ruling party considering contesting election under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar once again, Mr. Prasad said, “Let there be anyone. I have seen Nitish, we will form the government.”

Mr. Prasad was indirectly referring to Mr. Kumar switching sides again and again when he stressed upon seeing him.

The Bihar Chief Minister has the history of switching sides and so far, he has done it four times.

Mr. Kumar first switched sides in 2013 by breaking a 17-year-long alliance with the BJP. In 2015, Mr. Kumar fought Assembly elections in alliance with the RJD. However following the allegation of corruption against RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, he broke the alliance in 2017 and returned to the BJP. Mr. Kumar fought both the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 Assembly elections with the BJP and again in 2022, he quit the NDA and joined hands with the RJD. In January 2024, Mr. Kumar again left the RJD and formed the government with the BJP.

‘Committed a mistake’

Ever since Mr. Kumar has left the RJD, on several occasions in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he has accepted his mistake saying he made a mistake twice by going with the RJD and will not repeat it again.

Reacting to the question of Opposition challenging electronic voting machines (EVMs), Mr. Prasad asserted that elections should be held using ballot papers to maintain transparency.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary took a dig at Mr. Prasad over his claim of Grand Alliance forming the government in Bihar.

“After losing all four seats in the by-elections of Bihar Assembly, Mr. Prasad is talking about coming to power in 2025 to boost the morale of his party workers. He has been dreaming of returning to power for 18 years and even in 2025, his dream is going to be shattered,” Mr. Choudhary said.

He said, “In 2025 also, the NDA will make a spectacular comeback by winning 225 seats under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.”

Mr. Choudhary slammed Mr. Prasad over his demand for using ballot papers instead of EVMs. He accused the Grand Alliance of looting the ballot papers to win the election.

“For 15 years in Bihar, democracy was murdered by looting booths and ballot boxes. EVMs have stopped all this game, that is why the Opposition is not able to make any progress. In the Lalu-Rabri regime, power was grabbed on the basis of capturing the booths and electoral violence used to take place. That is the reason the Grand Alliance wants to conduct elections through ballot papers,” said Mr. Choudhary.

He termed Mr. Prasad’s demand illogical after the Election Commission and the Supreme Court rejected arguments of the Opposition on EVMs.

Published - November 29, 2024 09:40 pm IST