Unlike his National Democratic Alliance allies who rushed to the spotlight soon after the NDA won a historic mandate in the 2025 Bihar assembly election, Nitish Kumar stayed away from the public eye on Friday, November 14.
The first glimpse of the victor surfaced when Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan -- who had targeted him during the 2020 assembly election -- met him on Saturday.
Paswan, whose party contested this election as part of the NDA -- and not independently as it did in 2020, then cutting mainly into Janata Dal-United votes and trimming the number of JD-U seats -- said representatives of his Lok Janshakti party (Ram Vilas) met Nitish Kumar to congratulate him on the NDA's triumph and discussed the formation of the next government in the state.
"I am grateful to the central leadership of the alliance," Paswan said. "The NDA placed trust in our party, which had no MLA in the Bihar assembly."
The LJP(RV) contested 28 assembly seats in the state and won 19.
"In 2020, many were responsible for the LJP(RV)'s poll debacle. I fought to resurrect the party."
Paswan described his meeting with Nitish Kumar as "cordial and constructive." Nitish Kumar's experience and administrative capabilities, he added, will play a crucial role in shaping Bihar's future.
'I conveyed my warm wishes to Nitish Kumarji and expressed confidence that under his leadership, the NDA government will continue to deliver on its promises,' Paswan tweeted.
Nitish Kumar, according to officials present, thanked Paswan for his support and acknowledged the contribution of all NDA allies in securing the mandate.
Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff