Confusion over the possibility of Nitish Kumar being the next chief minister continues. Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said the NDA will contest the upcoming assembly polls under CM Nitish’s leadership. However, he noted that his re-nomination for the CM post will be decided at a parliamentary board meeting of the NDA parties after the election results are out. Jaiswal’s comments came days after Nitish’s son, Nishant Kumar, suggested the NDA should declare his father as their candidate for chief minister. In response, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the BJP might pull a post-poll move similar to Maharashtra.Seat-sharing talks on among Opposition blocThe Congress will soon be convening a meeting with leaders from Bihar in New Delhi to begin discussions on seat-sharing with its primary ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Learning from past experiences, the party aims to prioritise winning seats over merely claiming a larger share of them. Although the date for the meeting is yet to be finalised, discussions among Grand Alliance partners are expected to take place either before or after Holi. In the 2020 assembly polls, Congress won 19 out of the 70 seats it contested. Bihar Congress chief had recently said the party hopes to win 40-50 seats this time.Bihar govt to present ‘key’ budget on March 3The NDA government in Bihar will present its budget for FY 2025-26 during the Budget session of the state legislature on March 3. There is considerable speculation in both political and bureaucratic circles that this budget will be significant, as assembly elections are scheduled for October-November. The total expenditure is estimated to reach Rs 3.15 lakh crore, the highest in the state’s history. DyCM Samrat Chaudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the Budget. Departments such as education, health, road construction, rural works, social welfare, and minority welfare are likely to receive the highest allocations.RamashankarOur correspondent in Biharramashankar@newindianexpress.com
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