JOIN USUnion Minister and recently-appointed in-charge of the Bihar BJP's affairs, Ananth Kumar on Tuesday categorically said the party would not project any leader as its chief-ministerial candidate for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
“The election will be contested under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said in the state capital. Ananth's statement gave fresh ammunition to the rival JD(U) and the RJD to attack the BJP over “its inability to project a credible face who can match Nitish”.
“If it’s a Narendra Modi vs Nitish Kumar battle, the BJP should clarify whether Modi will resign from the prime minister’s post and contest the Bihar Assembly election. If no, who is their face for the chief minister's post?” asked JD(U) leader and senior minister Shyam Razak. In reply, former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi convened a press conference and clarified that “the projection of a chief-ministerial candidate will be done at an appropriate time”.
Sushil Modi, the frontrunner for the BJP’s chief ministerial face, is facing stiff competition from Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav.