In a remarkable feat, the BJP defeated the ruling Grand Alliance in Kurhani assembly by-election in Bihar earlier this month. BJP leader and Union rural development and panchayati raj minister Giriraj Singh attributed the victory of his party to the changing perception of the people about chief minister Nitish Kumar and his governance. In an interview, the 70-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai in Bihar told Kumar Shakti Shekhar that the BJP would repeat the achievement in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and defeat the alliance of JD(U), RJD, Congress and other parties in the state. Excerpts:
How did the BJP register victory in the Kurhani by-election against the multi-party coalition of Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan)?