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Published 20:38 IST, September 16th 2019

Bihar's Deputy CM says 'no alternative to Nitish, just like PM Modi'

BJP's deputy CM Sushil Modi has backed Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying that there is no alternative to the latter in the state in assembly polls

Reported by: Navashree Nandini
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Even as reports of internal tussle within Bihar's NDA emerged, BJP's deputy CM Sushil Modi has backed Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying that there is no alternative to the latter in the state. Comparing the stature of Nitish Kumar to that of the stature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in centre, Sushli Modi in a tweet on Monday has said that the situation of Opposition in the upcoming assembly elections will be similar to that of Lok Sabha polls as the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance will not be able to find an alternative in the state.

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"Just as the leaders of the opposition parties could not provide an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the parliamentary elections, the Grand Alliance will not be able to substitute Nitish Kumar in Bihar and the NDA will repeat the success of the parliamentary elections in the assembly elections with impressive figures," Bihar's deputy Sushil Modi tweeted in Hindi.

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Sushil backs Nitish

A day after BJP MLC from Bihar said that BJP should have its own chief ministerial face for the upcoming assembly polls, deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi rebuffed his statements. In a tweet that he deleted later,  Bihar Deputy CM had said that Kumar will be the 'captain of Bihar NDA in the assembly polls too.' His remark came right after BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan told that a BJP leader should be made the next Chief Minister of Bihar. Clarifying that he is not demeaning or disrespecting the JD(U), Paswan went on to ask Nitish Kumar to move to politics in the Centre and leave the state politics to the BJP. Paswan also claimed that the NDA gets the vote in name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Precursor to Bihar assembly elections 

A slogan war has begun in the Bihar as a precursor to upcoming assembly election in 2020. The 2020 Bihar election campaign slogan of the JD(U) was spotted on various banners outside the JD(U) head office a few days ago. The slogan read - Kyun Kare Vichar, Thikke toh hai Nitish Kumar." (Why to think, Nitish Kumar is fine.) The RJD took it as an opportunity to slam Nitish Kumar saying that JD(U) has accepted its defeat by calling Nitish Kumar fine (thikke) and not good. As RJD blew its criticism quoting another slogan "Kyun na kare vichar, Bihar jo hai bimar" (Why should we not think when Bihar is ill), the JD(U) changed its slogan. Now the new slogan of the the party reads - Kyu kare vichaar jab hai hi Nitish Kumar (Why to think when we have Nitish Kumar.)

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Bihar assembly elections

With a total of 243 seats in Bihar assembly, the state goes to polls in the upcoming year. While the ruling alliance of JD(U) and BJP are reportedly having internal tussles, the Opposition alliance - the Mahagathbandhan appears to be directionless after the massive poll drubbing in the general elections 2019. Lalu Yadav's party failed to open its account in the general elections and Nitish Kumar is facing anti-incumbency. With JD(U) VP's strategy team working with Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, Nitish Kumar speaking against the BJP on various issues and the repeated invitations by the RJD to Kumar for rejoining the Mahagathbandhan, the poll-season in Bihar piques interest.

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20:15 IST, September 16th 2019