Bihar Assembly polls: Increasing CM aspirants trouble NDA

New Delhi: Even as trouble and heartburn over seat-sharing continue to plague the BJP-led NDA, the list of aspirants for the chief minister’s post seems to be growing within the BJP.

While the NDA is contesting the Bihar Assembly elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, supporters of BJP leaders have started lobbying for the CM’s post. Speculation is rife that the central leadership could nominate a “new face” for the coveted post in Bihar, like it did in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand.

Former deputy chief minister and senior leader Sushil Kumar Modi is seen as the frontrunner for the chief ministerial post. But a powerful section within the BJP state unit is seen as anti-Sushil Modi and is expected to object if Mr Sushil Modi is promoted by the party leadership.

In Jharkhand, where tribal leaders have dominated the chief ministerial post, the BJP had appointed a non-tribal leader Ragubar Das. Similarly in Haryana, the BJP appointed a non-Jat, Manohar Lal Khattar, as chief minister. Maharashtra also saw a non-OBC chief minister after the BJP appointed Devendra Fadnavis.

Sources disclosed that the name of Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh is also doing the rounds as one of the “new faces” that the central leadership could decide on. Mr Singh belongs to the upper caste, which is less than 16 per cent of the total population of the state. Speculation is also rife that if Mr Radha Mohan Singh is nominated as the chief minister, one of the BJP chief ministers could succeed him in Mr Modi’s Cabinet.

The names of Union ministers Ravishankar Prasad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, along with senior leader Nand Kishore Yadav, are also doing the rounds in the party circles.

BJP allies Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM have already clarified to the BJP leadership that their leaders are not in the chief ministerial candidate race and a decision in this regard will be taken by the PM.