Prime Minister Narendra Modi met former Bihar Chief Minister of Bihar and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Tuesday, just a day after the BJP lost its long-held stronghold of Bankipur in a key by-election. The vote marked the first poll since Kumar stepped down as Chief Minister, with the seat — previously held by BJP national president Nitin Nabin — being captured by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party.
The meeting, held at Parliament House, was the first between Modi and Kumar since the latter became a Rajya Sabha MP. Sources familiar with the discussion indicated that the agenda focused primarily on Bihar’s development roadmap, infrastructure projects, and the future of the ruling alliance. While the Prime Minister’s Office shared a photograph of the interaction, Kumar — who was accompanied by JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh — described the encounter on X as a courtesy meeting.
Although details on whether the specific by-election result was formally addressed remained undisclosed, political observers view the loss as a significant test for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the state. Responding to the outcome, BJP leaders noted that both coalition partners would assess the defeat, while asserting that the Jan Suraaj Party's victory poses a more severe threat to the main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, whose candidate lost her security deposit.
While the BJP acknowledged various local factors behind the loss, the JD(U) has largely kept its stance quiet. However, party insiders privately suggested that the arrival of a new political force in Bihar could disrupt established voting patterns, forcing major parties to re-evaluate their regional strategies and gauge how new political leadership is being received by the broader electorate.
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