Wed Dec 25 13:18:01 UTC 2024: ## Giriraj Singh Advocates Bharat Ratna for Nitish Kumar, Patnaik; Predicts NDA Victory in Bihar

**PATNA, INDIA** – Union Minister Giriraj Singh has called for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Singh lauded both leaders for their contributions to their respective states’ development. His statement comes amidst a flurry of pronouncements regarding the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

Singh confidently predicted a return to power for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. He contrasted the current political climate with the past, claiming that younger generations haven’t experienced the alleged “jungle raj” (lawless rule) of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s era. This sentiment echoes a similar statement made Tuesday by Union Minister and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who confirmed that the NDA will contest the 2025 elections under Kumar’s leadership.

The NDA, currently composed of the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), performed well in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Bihar. While the BJP holds 84 seats in the Bihar Assembly, the JD(U) holds 48. The upcoming Assembly elections, slated for late 2025, will see the NDA compete against a Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) which Kumar abandoned just months before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to re-align with the BJP.

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