Bihar-like grand alliance a solution to check surge of BJP, says Nitish Kumar

In 2015, a grand alliance of RJD, JDU and Congress defeated BJP in the state assembly election.

Speaking about the grand alliance in Bihar, Nitish said: "The grand alliance of JDU, RJD and Congress proved successful in Bihar assembly polls in 2015 when it defeated the BJP led NDA. The only answer is a 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of non-BJP parties at the national level now."

The possibility of grand alliance in 2019 has been the topic of discussion in the political field, particularly in the post-demonetisation phase, where several political parties protested outside the parliament all together.

Nitish, however, refused to read too much into the defeat of Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh and said the BJP could have been defeated if there was a grand alliance of SP, Congress and Mayawati led BSP.

"If you add the vote percentage of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the BSP, it is 10 percent more than the votes polled by the BJP," he said.

The Bihar CM asked Congress and Left Parties to take the lead to form a grand alliance before 2019 general election.

Nitish even stated that there are ample number of faces who could be the leader of the grand alliance.

Mamata Banerjee, who had been speaking in favour of a grand alliance for quite some time, recently after Uttar Pradesh poll verdict said that she will always be into such grand alliance, if it happens.