<p>Patna: After wresting Delhi, the BJP has set its sights on Bihar, where Assembly elections are slated for October and November this year for the 243-member House. It was against this backdrop that the top BJP leadership held a marathon meeting in New Delhi on Saturday where it was decided that the Maharashtra experiment won’t be repeated in Bihar.</p><p>It was decided at the meeting of the BJP national general secretaries that even if the BJP becomes the single-largest party or wins more seats than its ally JD(U), Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister.</p><p>The clear stance is in stark contrast to Maharashtra, where junior ally Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde was ousted from the chief minister's post after the BJP became the single-largest party in the Assembly.</p>.RJD chief Lalu Yadav courts controversy, calls Maha Kumbh 'meaningless'.<p>"The BJP wants to send a loud and clear message that the Maharashtra experiment won’t be repeated in Bihar, ensuring there is no confusion among the cadres of the two ruling partners or the voters,” said a senior BJP leader privy to the marathon meeting.</p><p>Preferring anonymity as he is not supposed to brief the media, the source said the decision was made to dispel misgivings that the NDA government at the Centre and state are not on the same page and that the BJP top leadership may dethrone Nitish after the election.</p><p>The JD(U) has hailed the BJP’s move. “Nitish’s USP is good governance. He has an unblemished track record as the CM of Bihar, putting the state on the fast track of development since 2005,” said Nitish’s close aide and senior Minister Ashok Choudhary.</p>.<p><strong>Second fiddle</strong> </p><p>The JD(U) has reasons to be upbeat. After all, the BJP has its own compulsions to play second fiddle to Nitish, who is a seasoned politician, compared to Eknath Shinde who got a raw deal after the Maharashtra polls.</p><p>“In this caste-ridden state, Nitish attracts a significant portion of women voters, who make up nearly 50% of the 8-crore electorate. This is due to measures for girls’ education, women's employment in various departments, women reservation in panchayati raj and prohibition, which has reduced domestic violence,” explained political commentator Sudhanshu Kumar.</p><p>“Nitish is the best bet for the BJP for two reasons,” said political scientist Ajay Kumar. “First, Nitish’s 15% vote share has been steady since the 2010 Assembly election, regardless of whether he is with the NDA or the Mahagathbandhan. Nitish secured a four-fifths majority with the BJP in 2010 and dealt a decisive defeat to the BJP when he teamed up with the RJD and Congress in 2015.”</p><p>Nitish's 15% votes, combined with the BJP’s 19%, Chirag Paswan’s 6% and smaller players like Jitan Ram Manjhi’s 2%, take the NDA’s voting percentage to over 40%, a figure sufficient for a landslide. </p><p>Second, the BJP lacks a leader in Bihar who can match Nitish's administrative skills and personal integrity, he added.</p>
<p>Patna: After wresting Delhi, the BJP has set its sights on Bihar, where Assembly elections are slated for October and November this year for the 243-member House. It was against this backdrop that the top BJP leadership held a marathon meeting in New Delhi on Saturday where it was decided that the Maharashtra experiment won’t be repeated in Bihar.</p><p>It was decided at the meeting of the BJP national general secretaries that even if the BJP becomes the single-largest party or wins more seats than its ally JD(U), Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister.</p><p>The clear stance is in stark contrast to Maharashtra, where junior ally Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde was ousted from the chief minister's post after the BJP became the single-largest party in the Assembly.</p>.RJD chief Lalu Yadav courts controversy, calls Maha Kumbh 'meaningless'.<p>"The BJP wants to send a loud and clear message that the Maharashtra experiment won’t be repeated in Bihar, ensuring there is no confusion among the cadres of the two ruling partners or the voters,” said a senior BJP leader privy to the marathon meeting.</p><p>Preferring anonymity as he is not supposed to brief the media, the source said the decision was made to dispel misgivings that the NDA government at the Centre and state are not on the same page and that the BJP top leadership may dethrone Nitish after the election.</p><p>The JD(U) has hailed the BJP’s move. “Nitish’s USP is good governance. He has an unblemished track record as the CM of Bihar, putting the state on the fast track of development since 2005,” said Nitish’s close aide and senior Minister Ashok Choudhary.</p>.<p><strong>Second fiddle</strong> </p><p>The JD(U) has reasons to be upbeat. After all, the BJP has its own compulsions to play second fiddle to Nitish, who is a seasoned politician, compared to Eknath Shinde who got a raw deal after the Maharashtra polls.</p><p>“In this caste-ridden state, Nitish attracts a significant portion of women voters, who make up nearly 50% of the 8-crore electorate. This is due to measures for girls’ education, women's employment in various departments, women reservation in panchayati raj and prohibition, which has reduced domestic violence,” explained political commentator Sudhanshu Kumar.</p><p>“Nitish is the best bet for the BJP for two reasons,” said political scientist Ajay Kumar. “First, Nitish’s 15% vote share has been steady since the 2010 Assembly election, regardless of whether he is with the NDA or the Mahagathbandhan. Nitish secured a four-fifths majority with the BJP in 2010 and dealt a decisive defeat to the BJP when he teamed up with the RJD and Congress in 2015.”</p><p>Nitish's 15% votes, combined with the BJP’s 19%, Chirag Paswan’s 6% and smaller players like Jitan Ram Manjhi’s 2%, take the NDA’s voting percentage to over 40%, a figure sufficient for a landslide. </p><p>Second, the BJP lacks a leader in Bihar who can match Nitish's administrative skills and personal integrity, he added.</p>