BJP won't gain anything in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

A confident Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would never succeed in its mission of gaining power in the state despite chalking out several strategies in its meetings.

"They would not gain anything here despite several meetings," he said while commenting on the ongoing BJP's national executive meeting in Bengaluru where the saffron party discussed its strategies for the Bihar assembly polls due later this year.

Briefing the media in Bengaluru earlier in the day, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar launched a frontal attack on the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar and expressed hope that the people of the state would give the BJP another chance.

"As soon as JD (U) broke the alliance with the BJP, 'jungle raaj' returned in Bihar. This is jungle raaj two. We will work very hard and he (Amit Shah) was sure that the people of Bihar will give another chance to the BJP," said Javadekar.

"Our president was very clear and appealed to the national executive that Bihar will go to polls. It's an important election. Last time, the people of Bihar had given the mandate to BJP and JD (U), but the JD (U) ditched the mandate and went out of the alliance. Now after the separation, 'jungle raaj' has returned to Bihar," he added.

The BJP, which suffered a humiliating defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, is putting great emphasis on its preparedness in Bihar.

The party, which faces a formidable opponent in the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Yadav-Congress combine, enjoys the support of Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Bihar.

Eyeing big gains in Bihar where it has so far been a minor player, the party may also reach out to Dalit leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to bolster its chances in the state.

The political battle in Bihar has a personal element for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the JD (U) had snapped ties with the BJP over his selection as the prime ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha polls last year.

The BJP, which is aiming to wrest power on its own for the first time ever in Bihar, had along with its allies won 31 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state last year.