When Union Home Minister Amit Shah stood in Bihar and declared that the NDA would contest the Assembly election under Nitish Kumar’s leadership—but that the decision on the Chief Minister would be taken after the polls by the elected MLAs—he wasn’t just stating a procedural fact. His comment marked a strategic signal from the BJP, underscoring both support for the current alliance and a degree of political flexibility.

Publicly, Shah’s statement was wrapped in deference— “We are contesting under Nitishji’s leadership." Yet, the caveat that the CM would be chosen post-election introduced a note of ambiguity. It reminded both allies and voters that the formal decision rests with the NDA legislature party, which is numerically dominated by the BJP.

At one level, it was a message to the JD(U

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