Tarari, Bihar:

Maintaining that he “made a mistake twice” in the past by joining hands with RJD, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that now he would stay permanently with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Addressing a public meeting in favour of NDA nominee, Vishal Prashant of BJP for the Tarari assembly byelection, Kumar said, “I have said it earlier also…I am once again saying that we (BJP-JDU) were together earlier. I made a mistake twice in the past by joining hands with the RJD…I went ‘idhar udhar’ twice in the past…But now, I have again come to the NDA. I will remain permanently with the NDA”.

He said, “We have been working for the development of Bihar since 2005. Several infrastructural and development works have been done in Bihar after 2005…..and it will continue further under the NDA rule”.

Kumar accused RJD of trying to “polarise” votes on “communal lines” in the upcoming bypolls in the state.

“They (RJD) always try to create a divide on communal lines. When RJD was in power in Bihar, the state witnessed several communal clashes. But, now the situation is totally different when the NDA is in power. I am sure that people will give a befitting reply to the INDIA bloc in the coming bypolls in the state”, he said.

By-polls on four Bihar assembly seats will be held on November 13 for which results will be out on November 23.

All four assembly seats had fallen vacant after MLAs representing them were elected to the Lok Sabha. The four seats where by-polls will be held are Ramgarh, Tarari, Belaganj, and Imamganj.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Patna:

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday re-affirmed his commitment to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying emphatically that he would not re-join the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in the future.

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader said this during a high-level NDA meeting here during which the leaders of the alliance displayed a strong show of unity and declared their commitment to contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

Reflecting on his past decisions to ally with the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, also known as the Grand Alliance, Nitish Kumar admitted those moves were mistakes he made on the advice of senior leaders in his party (JD-U). He, however, did not name any individual.

During the meeting, NDA leaders collectively set an ambitious goal to win over 220 seats, signaling a clear intent to reinforce the alliance’s strength.

Nitish Kumar also urged the NDA leaders to deepen their outreach by organising similar meetings at the Panchayat and block levels, emphasising the importance of functioning as a united front rather than individual parties.

After the meeting, Bihar unit BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said that the NDA will contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Dilip Jaiswal said that the NDA has set an ambitious goal of surpassing the number of seats won in the 2020 elections.

During the meeting, key topics discussed included addressing public discomfort with policies like liquor prohibition and the controversial smart meter installations, both of which have stirred criticism and became major points for the opposition to raise.

Nitish Kumar urged the NDA leaders to actively counter misinformation spread by the Opposition, saying the Grand Alliance had misled and cheated the people of Bihar.

To strengthen the NDA’s outreach, Nitish Kumar outlined a strategy involving Assembly (segment) level conferences across the state, ensuring that future programmes are well-coordinated and shared within the alliance.

During the meeting, senior leaders from various NDA allies, including all NDA Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), among others were present.

The meeting is being seen as the NDA’s first significant step towards the preparation for the 2025 Assembly elections, serving as a critical organisational push.

The upcoming by-elections in four Assembly seats in Bihar are viewed as a preliminary test, or semi-final, for the NDA’s strategy and unity ahead of the main assembly elections.

Political analysts believe that in this context, the meeting has an added significance, as it marks a united front and clarifies campaign goals for the coalition in both the by-elections and the larger 2025 contest.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday attributed the setback suffered by the NDA in recent Lok Sabha elections in the state to loyal voters going on holiday during voting, under the assumption that the alliance was set to win more than 400 constituencies.

He acknowledged that the National Democratic Alliance was caught off guard by the Opposition, which succeeded in voter consolidation.

Speaking at a joint rally of Mahayuti partners in Mumbai, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported Mr Shinde’s claims, stating that the NDA leaders did not pay enough attention to the lies spread by the Opposition during the campaign.

The rally was attended by leaders of Shiv Sena, BJP, NCP headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and other small constituents.

In Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA could win only 17 seats, while the MVA comprising the Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged 30 constituencies. The Independent candidate who won the Sangli constituency is a Congress leader.

“We were caught off guard by the opposition during the Lok Sabha election,” Mr Shinde said.

“Some of our voters went on holiday during the polling, assuming that the NDA would easily win more than 400 seats in the general elections. This loss underscores the need for a more strategic approach in the future,” he said.

Mr Shinde claimed the opposition voters diligently exercised their franchise, with almost 80 per cent turnout.

“If 60 per cent of our voters had turned up at the polling booths, we could have easily won 40 seats. We can’t afford to be naive or callous after being hit hard in the Lok Sabha polls,” he added.

In a critical remark against Congress, Mr Shinde highlighted its history of scams, such as Bofors, fodder, and coal, while questioning if there had been any corruption allegations against Prime Minister Modi.

Mr Fadnavis emphasised the significant impact of lies spread by the opposition during the campaign on the voters and the urgent need for an effective response.

“The MVA won two lakh votes more than the NDA candidates, but they won nearly 30 seats. They used to lie every day before the media, and we thought it would not affect our voters. But in reality, it did affect our voters, and we could not counter it effectively,” he added.

Mr Fadnavis also taunted some party leaders who made statements against NDA partners.

“There are some party leaders who get some extreme urge to make some statement. My suggestion to them is to first speak with their leaders, seek their permission, and then open their mouths,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the lower house of Parliament today.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda will also make a statement regarding the status of implementation of the recommendations or observations contained in the 143rd & 154th reports of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare on Demands for Grants pertaining to MoHFW.

On Monday Rahul Gandhi  delivered his first speech as the LoP with a copy of the Constitution and photos of religious figures, including Lord Shiva – launched a fierce attack on the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS.

Here are the live updates on Parliament Session 2024: