News Brief
BJP's Decision To Bring Back Nitish Kumar In NDA Fold To Help Party In Lok Sabha, State Assembly Elections: Survey
Kuldeep Negi
Jan 31, 2024, 03:34 PM | Updated 03:33 PM IST
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent political shift has led to renewed criticism for his frequent changes in stance, but it appears to have boosted the BJP's chances in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to a survey by NDTV Prashnam.
The survey, which involved around 4,000 participants, indicates that this change in Bihar's political landscape could benefit the BJP.
Around 53 per cent of respondents expressed support for the BJP-JDU alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, while around 23 per cent favoured the RJD-Congress coalition.
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The rest were split between other parties and undecided voters.
The survey also explored voter preferences if the JDU, RJD, and Congress Mahagathbandhan had remained intact.
In that scenario, 35 per cent would have supported the Opposition alliance, equal to those who would have chosen the NDA.
This suggests that Kumar's political maneuvering may have shifted the electoral battle in favour of the NDA.
Further, about 73 per cent of NDA supporters said that they would back the BJP-JDU alliance post the Bihar political shift, indicating that BJP voters largely accept Kumar returning to the NDA fold.
According to the polls, Kumar's decision might not only influence the Lok Sabha elections but also the state Assembly polls next year.
In the survey, 54 per cent backed the BJP-JDU alliance for the state elections, while 27 per cent supported the RJD-Congress combine.
If the Mahagathbandhan had stayed intact for the 2025 elections, 41 per cent of respondents said they would have voted for it, compared to 38 per cent for the NDA.
The survey also assessed whether Kumar, known for his governance but now seen as a symbol of political inconsistency, still has significant public support.
Around 36 per cent of Opposition alliance voters said they would support him in the Lok Sabha elections, increasing to 46 per cent for the Assembly polls.
Seventy per cent of those in the survey said they would support the BJP-JDU alliance in 2025 now that Kumar had switched over.
Also Read: CPI(M) Criticises Congress In Kerala, But Vows To Strengthen INDI Alliance After JDU's Exit
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Kuldeep is Senior Editor (Newsroom) at Swarajya. He tweets at @kaydnegi.
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