PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday reiterated that the Centre might go for early Lok Sabha polls fearing more loss to the BJP because of opposition unity. He also said the Union government has the right to dissolve the Lok Sabha and opt for early polls. “A party, which has a majority at the Centre, if wished, can hold the Lok Sabha polls prior to its actual time,” Nitish said.
Responding to media queries at the Raj Bhawan soon after attending the swearing-in ceremony of his party MLA Ratnesh Sada as cabinet minister, the Bihar CM -- who is scheduled to host a meeting of leading opposition parties from across the country in Patna on June 23 – further said, “We have taken initiatives for unity among the opposition parties. They (BJP leaders) might have a fear that the opposition leaders will make more movement in the coming months and it will cause more loss to them (BJP). …They might opt for the early Lok Sabha polls.”
The JD(U) de facto leader also said he was not totally sure that the Centre would opt for the early Lok Sabha polls, but there always remains a ‘strong possibility’ of holding early polls (when the ruling party holds majority in the house.) “That is the reason I have alerted entire opposition parties. I have asked the leaders of all opposition parties that you will win the (Lok Sabha) election only if all parties contest unitedly against the BJP,” Nitish said.
The Bihar CM also recalled how the (then) BJP leaders had preferred to hold the 2004 Lok Sabha polls three-four months earlier than its actual timeline, even though the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not in favour of the same. Then, Nitish was a cabinet minister in the Vajpayee-led NDA government. Vajpayee has lost the 2004 polls to the Congress-led UPA.
Earlier on Wednesday, Nitish, while chairing a review meeting of the rural works department, had told officials that the Lok Sabha elections could be held this year (in 2023).
“The officers have assured me that all the remaining work of rural roads would be completed by January 2024. It is good that you (officers) will complete them by January 2024, but I will request you to do the work faster, as early as possible. It will be good if you complete the remaining works earlier because who knows when the (Lok Sabha) elections will happen? It is not necessary that the elections will be held next year. Koi thikana hai? (there is no guarantee?),” Nitish had told officers on Wednesday.
