Choubey Calls for BJP Majority in Bihar Assembly Polls

BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey advocates for his party to lead the next Bihar government with a majority in the coming assembly elections. He also criticized the elevation of 'imported' leaders within the party. Choubey has conveyed his views to the party leadership, emphasizing the need for unity and majority.

Disgruntled BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Thursday called for his party to ''lead'' the next government in Bihar with ''a majority on its own'' in the upcoming assembly polls, marking a significant stance ahead of the elections.

Speaking in Bhagalpur, Choubey, a former Union minister who was recently denied a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections, stressed that his opinions were personal but had been communicated to the party leadership. He stated, ''It is a personal view that I have also conveyed to the party leadership.''

''The BJP should lead the new government in Bihar. It should try to get a majority on its own, while taking NDA partners along,'' Choubey told reporters. As a known critic of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, under whom Choubey served before joining the Modi government at the Center, he confirmed that JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar remains an ally.

''Nitish ji has been with us in the past, is so at present and will be so in future,'' Choubey affirmed.

When questioned about the chief ministerial candidate, Choubey said, ''That will be decided by the top leadership in due course. The cadre should focus on helping the party succeed in the polls. I will do my part, expecting nothing in return,'' he added.

Choubey also expressed dissatisfaction with 'imported' leaders attaining top positions in the BJP, evasively addressing whether his discontent was aimed at state president Samrat Choudhary, now a deputy Chief Minister.

''I only mean that the party structure has been built through efforts of luminaries like Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We must not let those who have not cut their teeth in the organization head units at district or state levels,'' continued Choubey.

Notably, Choudhary, who joined BJP in 2017, became the state unit chief last year, aiming to garner OBC support in elections. However, the party did not achieve the expected success, causing internal friction.

Meanwhile, the JD(U), buoyed by their better-than-expected performance in the Lok Sabha polls with 12 seats, has remained silent on Choubey's criticisms.

Sources within the BJP, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that Choubey, denied an attempt at a hat-trick from his Buxar Lok Sabha seat, which the BJP lost to RJD, might be testing the waters. The seasoned politician is reportedly seeking a ticket for his son, Arijit Shashwat, who was unsuccessful in the 2015 assembly polls and denied another chance five years later.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)