It’s official: Nitish is NDA’s Bihar CM face

New Delhi: Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Thursday said that Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister of NDA if it returns to power after the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.

“Nitish Kumar will be the CM of NDA after polls,” Rai, a senior BJP leader, considered close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said. Rai’s remark assume political significance amid ongoing speculation over the CM face of the NDA ahead of the October-November polls. Rai is first senior BJP leader who tried to end days of speculation as the top BJP leadership is believed to be reluctant to declare Nitish Kumar as the CM face.

Top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have repeatedly stated that NDA will go to polls under the leadership of Kumar since they understand what he brings to the table despite his reported deteriorating mental health and the drastic fall in popularity.