Nitish Kumar's bargaining power is over! After a historic victory, will the BJP stake a claim to the CM post?:

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Bihar Assembly election results have changed many equations. For the first time in history, the BJP has emerged as the largest party. This is the second time the BJP is projected to win 91 seats. Nitish Kumar's JDU is in second place, leading in 82 seats.

In such a situation, questions are being raised as to who will be the Chief Minister? The NDA stated on several occasions during the election that it was contesting the elections on the back of Nitish Kumar and PM Modi, but it never officially declared Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister.

Now that the BJP has emerged as the largest party, the question is whether it will put forward its own chief ministerial candidate. Looking at the seat-sharing equation, the BJP could form a government even without the JDU.

Adding the 21 seats of Chirag Paswan's LJP (LJP), five seats of Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM, and four seats of Upendra Kushwaha's RLM, all part of the NDA, brings the total to 121. This means Nitish Kumar's political bargaining power has diminished. However, it is important to note that Nitish Kumar's support is with the Modi government at the center.

To form a government in Bihar, 122 seats are needed. The BSP appears to be on track to win one seat. These figures are based on trends as of 2 p.m. Interestingly, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha have long-standing rivalries with Nitish Kumar.

The BJP last won 91 seats in the 2010 assembly elections. The JDU then won 115 seats, and Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister. The BJP subsequently won 53 seats in 2015 and 74 in 2020. In the 2020 elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party, winning 75 seats. The BJP was in second place, while the JDU slipped to third.