2025 Assembly election will be fought under Tejashwi's leadership: Nitish

Patna, Dec 13 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that the Mahagathbandhan will contest the next Assembly election in 2025 under the leadership of his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, of the RJD.

The announcement came after the meeting of Mahagathbandhan leaders in the Bihar Assembly. During the meeting, Tejashwi Yadav, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Ajit Sharma, Mahboob Alam, and other leaders of the Mahagathbandhan were present.

"I have no ambition to become Prime Minister of the country. I have only one ambition: to defeat the BJP and remove it from the Centre. We all are working on it and we will contest the 2025 Assembly election of Bihar under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav," Nitish Kumar said.

"I have been working for the development of Bihar and Bihari people and now it is the turn of Tejashwi Yadav to continue the good works in future," he added.

Earlier on several occasions, Nitish Kumar publicly said that he wants to promote young generation leader Tejashwi Yadav in future. Now, he has announced it in the Assembly.

Nitish Kumar is looking at politics of the Centre. Even his party JD-U and RJD leaders have claimed that Nitish Kumar has all the ability to be Prime Minister of the country. Tejashwi Yadav, RJD state president Jagadanand Singh, and JD-U Parliamentary Board Chairman Upendra Kushwaha have claimed that Nitish Kumar is a PM material.

However, Nitish Kumar said that he does not have any ambition to become the PM.

The announcement of Nitish Kumar came after the Kurhani bypoll results where his party lost. He did an open session with the leaders and supporters of the party on December 10 and 11 and analysed the current political situation. Sources have said that he was not pleased with the performance of JD-U in Kurhani. Hence, he has announced the name of Tejashwi Yadav and it is shocking for his party's leaders as well.

Nitish Kumar's announcement was largely welcomed.

"The popularity of Tejashwi Yadav is improving in Bihar. People of Bihar are wanting for the change. Leadership of Bihar comes in the hands of the young generation," RJD MLA Rakesh Raushan said.

"The announcement of the Chief Minister is really appreciable. The Mahagathbandhan will flourish under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav," CPI-MLL MLA Mahboob Alam siod.

"Nitish Kumar continuously says that he wants to promote Tejashwi Yadav. He announced the same during the meeting of Mahagathbandhan in Vidhan Sabha. Tejashwi Yadav will be our future leader," Finance Minister and JD-U leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said.

However, BJP MLC and former state minister Shahnawaz Hussain said: "The leaders of Mahagathbandhan are cooking 'Khayali Pulav' (Imaginary meal). The people of Bihar will decide who will be the Chief Minister of Bihar in 2025."