Nitish Kumar says 'busy serving people, no time to gain publicity' ahead of Bihar by-polls

Ahead of Bihar by-polls in Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seats, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he is busy serving people and has no time to gain 'publicity'.

While speaking to the media in Patna, Nitish said, "I am busy serving people. The 'Janata' is the master and they will decide whatever they want. I will not comment on the comments being passed regarding me. For us, the entire Bihar is one family. For others, their own family is everything." The Bihar CM further said that he has no time for gaining 'publicity'.

Earlier on Monday, the Leader of opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, had slammed Nitish Kumar over "poor health facilities" in Bihar. He alleged that the necessity for by-polls arose because Kumar could not offer sufficient medical treatment to his own party's MLAs. The RJD leader went on to say that both MLAs died as a result of the state's poor medical facilities. The RJD leader mentioned that in the NITI Aayog report, Bihar "is the worst-performing state in health."

Meanwhile, after Lalu Prasad Yadav's return to Patna from Delhi six months post his bail in a fodder scam case, sources informed Republic Media on Monday that the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo will campaign for the party in the upcoming by-polls.

Nitish Kumar hits the Bihar by-poll campaign trail

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday hit the campaign trail for by-elections to Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan assembly seats which his JD(U) must retain convincingly to arrest its further erosion. The by-elections to both seats have been necessitated by the deaths of respective JD(U) MLAs. Tarapur MLA Mewa Lal Chaudhary contracted COVID contagion and succumbed to the virus during the second wave of COVID-19 while Shashi Bhushan Hazari, who represented reserved Kusheshwar Asthan breathed his last at a Delhi hospital where he was undergoing treatment for Hepatitis.

The casting of votes for the by-polls in Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly constituencies in Bihar will take place on October 30, while the counting of votes and announcement of results will be on November 2. 

The Election Commission of India, earlier on September 28, announced by-polls for three parliamentary and 30 assembly seats across 15 states and Union territories (UTs) in the country.

(With Agency Inputs)