BJP snubs Nitish Kumar in Bihar; Narendra Modi effect?

Patna, Oct 2: Bharatiya Janata Party (

) in

openly challenged its ruling ally JD(U) led by Chief Minister

after declaring its decision to contest in all 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state alone.

Bihar BJP chief CP Thakur announced the party's decision unveiling the rifts between the two allies. Mr Thakur on Tuesday, Oct 2 has been quoted as saying, "As a political party, it's imperative to be ready to contest all the 40 seats."

Several rough patches have been seen between BJP and JD(U) from past few days. The main reason behind the rift between BJP and JD(U) is believed to be caused over relationship between Nitish Kumar and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

It is believed that Nitish Kumar maintains distance with Modi in order to woo the Muslims in the state. Nitish Kumar and his party have threatened to withdraw their support from BJP if it declares Modi's name as its prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha election which is expected to be held in 2014.

Earlier, JD(U) has conducted a survey which showed that many people want Nitish Kumar as PM and not Modi. The crack between the two allies in the state has been widened when Nitish Kumar had stated that he was willing to support any party who will give Bihar special financial aid, indicating his willingness to make a tie with a non-BJP party.

OneIndia News