PM Modi Backs Nitish Kumar as NDA’s Face, Predicts Record-Breaking Win in Bihar Polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday officially kicked off the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) campaign for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, declaring that the bloc under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership will “break all records” and secure a historic victory.

“Entire Bihar is saying ‘phir ek baar NDA sarkar, phir ek baar sushasan sarkar’,” the Prime Minister said, invoking Nitish’s popular image as ‘Sushasan Babu’ (Mr. Good Governance).

This is the first time Mr. Modi has publicly positioned Nitish Kumar as the face of the NDA campaign, signaling a reaffirmation of his leadership amid speculation over whether he would continue as Chief Minister if the alliance retains power.

The statement also comes a day after the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) named Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as its chief ministerial face and challenged the BJP to declare its own.
“I want to ask Amit Shah... our leader is Tejashwi Yadav. Who is theirs?” senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said in Patna.

Yadav, who twice served as Nitish’s deputy, also taunted the NDA, citing Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s earlier remark that the ruling coalition would “sit together and decide” its Chief Minister after victory — implying uncertainty over Nitish’s future.

Despite the jibes, the Janata Dal (United) has maintained that Nitish Kumar, already Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister, will remain in the post. In April, JDU banners across Patna declared he would continue till 2030, even as some BJP leaders, including Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, hinted at alternate leadership under Samrat Choudhary, one of Bihar’s two deputy chief ministers.

During his speech, the Prime Minister lauded the NDA government’s development work over the past five years, saying:

“There is not a single corner where the BJP isn’t carrying out development work. Bihar is now an attractive investment destination... such progress wouldn’t have been possible under ‘jungle raj’.”

Bihar will vote in two phases — November 6 and November 11. Results are expected to be a crucial test of Nitish Kumar’s enduring political relevance and the NDA’s cohesion in the state.