BJP can be beaten in 2024 polls if Opposition unites: Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) chief  Nitish Kumar has said if the majority of political parties opposed to the BJP come together, they will win with a "huge majority" in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “Everyone should remain united. If we remain united, we will win maximum seats in 2024. We don’t want a Third Front. Ours will be the main front,” he said this while addressing the national council meeting of the Janata Dal (United) in Patna. “During the assembly elections in 2020, our party won less seats. Despite having an alliance, the ally (BJP) was busy ensuring our defeat,” the JD(U) leader said. “Never before had our party won such a low number of seats in the 2005 or 2010 assembly elections. We suffered in 2020 as they tried to ensure the defeat of our candidates.” He also cautioned the political parties about the fallout of not getting united.

The BJP engineered defections in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur as well, he accused. “All these made us move out. They will be taught a lesson in the next elections,” he added. Kumar dismissed the recent loss of his party’s candidate in the Kurhani bypolls as inconsequential. He told party workers that he was not interested in bypoll, “but the other alliance partners wanted us to contest. They (BJP) lost at several places, but a hue and cry is being made over our loss at the by-poll.” Bihar must be given a special status by the Centre, Kumar reiterated. “Nothing is happening for development of backward states,” he alleged.