Cracks in Bihar NDA? Here’s what ex-BJP MP says about Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary

Reports of internal conflict within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar have emerged days after the results of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 were announced, followed by the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government at the centre.

The BJP won 12 of 17 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) also won 12 of the 16 seats it contested. The other NDA allies – LJP (RV) won five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) one seat.

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Cracks within the NDA in Bihar were open when Hari Manjhi, former BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Gaya alleged that state BJP president and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary failed to transfer votes of his own caste—Kushwaha—in favour of NDA candidates, according to a report in The New Indian Express.

Manjhi, two-time former MP from Gaya, raised questions on the state Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary's leadership and said that he could not win confidence of members of his caste despite a whirl-wind campaign, the report said.

Before 2024 general elections, Kushwahas were considered supporters of NDA. But the equation changed as INDIA bloc fielded candidates from Kushwaha community in some key constituencies.

Cracks in Maharashtra too

The report from Bihar comes amid speculations about BJP snapping ties with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and fighting the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections with Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

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The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 of the Maharasthra’s 48 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The ruling Mahayuti, a part of the NDA of which Ajit Pawar's NCP faction is a part, bagged just 17 seats.

“How can someone say that we fought on 48 seats, we only got 2 seats. BJP lost in other states as well, such as Uttar Pradesh. Nobody thought that BJP would get so few seats in Uttar Pradesh. So, blaming Ajit Pawar faction is not right,” Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal told news agency ANI on Friday.