Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Katihar Tarkishore Prasad was on Saturday elected as the leader of BJP’s legislature party.
“Congratulations to Tarkishoreji for being unanimously elected as the leader of BJP legislature party,” party leader Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted in Hindi. Modi, who is the Bihar deputy chief minister, held the post before Prasad.
Speaking on being elected as the leader of the legislature party, Prasad said that he will carry out the duty given to him to the best of his ability, ANI reported. The Katihar MLA, however, refused to comment if he will be the next deputy chief minister.
There has been speculation that Prasad will be made Kumar’s deputy, according to NDTV. Unidentified party members also told the news channel that Modi will move to Delhi for a post in the Union cabinet.
Meanwhile, Modi thanked the BJP and Sangh Parivar for giving him “so much” in 40 years of his political life. “I will also discharge the responsibility that will be given to me,” he said. “No one can take away the post of the worker.”
Modi also congratulated Bettiah MLA Renu Devi, who was elected as the deputy leader of BJP’s legislature party.
Earlier in the day, the National Democratic Alliance named Kumar the chief minister of Bihar. He will take oath as the chief minister on Monday. Kumar had on Thursday said that the alliance would take a decision on the next chief minister. However, there were reports suggesting that Kumar has expressed his “unwillingness” to continue as the chief minister following his party’s worst showing in 15 years.
After an election that remained too close to call till the end, the ruling National Democratic Alliance was back in power in Bihar with a slender majority. The coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member State Assembly. The Opposition Grand Alliance clinched 110. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, led by 31-year-old Tejashwi Yadav, emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats.
Quite significantly, the Janata Dal (United) has, for the first time in Bihar, won fewer seats than the BJP, pulling in just 43 to the BJP’s 74. This was JD(U)’s worst performance since the 2005 Assembly polls.
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Nitish Kumar will be Bihar CM, announces NDA after meeting; oath ceremony tomorrow
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