Not Nitish, Tejashwi Yadav most-preferred choice for CM post: C-Voter survey

India

oi-Prakash KL

Patna, Aug 10:
A
survey
has
claimed
that
not
JD(U)
leader
Nitish
Kumar
but
RJD
leader
Tejashwi
Yadav
is
the
most
preferred
choice
for
the
post
of
Bihar
Chief
Minister.

As
per
a
C-Voter
survey
on
Aaj
Tak,
43
per
cent
of
the
respondents
want
Tejashwi
Yadav
to
occupy
the
top
place
while
Nitish
Kumar
is
preferred
to
see
as
the
Chief
Minister
by
24
per
cent,
a
warning
sign
for
him.
It
has
to
be
noted
that
Yadav’s
popularity
has
witnessed
an
increase
across
all
sections
of
the
society.

Notably,
the
RJD
leader
has
the
backing
of
youths,
who
want
to
see
him
as
the
Chief
Minister,
the
survey
noted.

Also,
19
per
cent
of
the
people
favoured
a
candidate
from
the
BJP
for
the
top
post.

Meanwhile,
Nitish
Kumar
on
Wednesday
was
sworn
in
as
Bihar’s
chief
minister
a
day
after
quitting
–
ostensibly
over
a
row
with
coalition
partner
BJP
–
and
will
now
govern
in
alliance
with
his
former
rivals
in
RJD
and
Congress.

His
deputy
and
RJD’s
leader
Tejashwi
Yadav
was
the
only
other
minister
sworn
in
by
Governor
Phagu
Chauhan,
in
a
no-frills
ceremony
at
Raj
Bhavan
as
lists
of
ministers
to
be
nominated
by
parties
in
the
coalition
and
their
berths
were
yet
to
be
finalised.

Kumar
who
heads
the
JD(U)
took
oath
for
a
record
eighth
time,
as
head
of
the
‘Mahagathbandhan’
(grand
alliance)
which
it
had
dumped
in
2015,
to
join
hands
with
the
BJP.
The
change
effected
by
the
wily
leader,
has
in
the
eyes
of
many
analysts
potentially
pitted
him
against
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi.

However,
soon
after
the
swearing
in
ceremony,
Kumar
while
dismissing
rumours
that
he
may
now
eye
the
Prime
Ministerial
race
in
the
next
general
election,
asserted
the
Modi-led
NDA
government
at
the
Centre
does
need
to
“worry”
about
its
prospects
in
the
2024
Lok
Sabha
polls.

“They
should
remember
2014
(when
BJP
stormed
to
power
at
the
centre)
is
past.
They
need
to
worry
(‘chinta
karni
chahiye’)
about
2024,”
Kumar
said.

Leaders
of
the
BJP,
which
is
the
second
largest
party
in
the
assembly
with
77
MLAs,
were
conspicuous
by
their
absence
at
the
swearing-in
ceremony.

“We
received
no
invitation.
We
would
have,
in
any
case,
not
liked
to
witness
formation
of
a
government
which
has
been
installed
after
betraying
the
people
of
Bihar,
who
voted
for
the
NDA
in
the
last
assembly
polls,”
BJP
leader
Sushil
Modi
told
a
press
conference,
adding
that
it
was
“an
insult
to
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
who
stuck
to
his
promise
of
backing
Kumar
for
another
term,
despite
the
JD(U)’s
poor
performance.”