Old video of Bihar CM questioning PM Modi’s 2024 election prospects shared as recent

By: Ishita Goel
May 13 2024

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A screenshot of a social media post claiming to show Nitish Kumar casting doubts on BJP winning the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the claim?

A video featuring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been circulating on social media. In the video, Kumar questions whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will remain in power after 2024. In the video, Kumar states, "Those who came to power in 2014, will they remain after 2024?"

This clip was shared by users with comments in Hindi suggesting a shift in Kumar's political allegiance. Some even claimed that Kumar had predicted Modi's defeat. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Naresh Balyan was among those who shared the video. Archives of such posts can be found here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts) 

On May 12, 2024, the eve of the fourth phase of the ongoing general elections in India, Modi held a roadshow in Patna, a first for a prime minister in Bihar's capital. Kumar, the state’s longest-serving chief minister, stood next to Modi, holding the BJP insignia. 

Earlier this year, Kumar left the Opposition’s INDIA bloc and joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Clips from the roadshow were shared on social media, with some users claiming that Kumar appeared dejected in the NDA.

The posts insinuated that Kumar’s statement was recent. However, the video is old and was recorded before Kumar and his party, the Janata Dal (United), rejoined the NDA.

What is the truth?

A keyword search revealed that the video dates back to 2022. On August 10, 2022, NDTV (archived here) shared an extended version of the clip on its YouTube channel titled, "Nitish Kumar Dares PM Narendra Modi: He Won In 2014, But Will He In 2024?"

At the 1:56 timestamp, Kumar can be heard making the statement when asked if he would be a contender for the prime ministerial position in the 2024 general elections. 

The NDTV video's description stated, “After taking oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the eighth time — thus continuing in the chair with a change of partners — Nitish Kumar took a shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the next Lok Sabha elections: He won in 2014, but will he in 2024?"

News agency ANI posted a screenshot of the video on X (archived here), on August 10, with the caption, "Those who came to power in 2014, will they be victorious in 2024? I would like all (Opposition) to be united for 2024. I am not a contender for any such post (on PM post): Bihar CM Nitish Kumar."

A Hindustan Times report from August 10, 2022, stated that Kumar’s statement was made a day after he severed ties with the NDA government and allied with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and other parties. After being sworn in as Bihar's chief minister for the eighth time, he suggested that Modi should be concerned about the 2024 elections.

Kumar joined the BJP early this year after resigning as Bihar's CM on January 28. This indicates that when he made the statement, he was associated with the Grand Alliance in Bihar, also known as the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, not the NDA. He and the JD(U) also left the INDIA bloc, an alliance of Opposition parties in India created for the 2024 general election.

Kumar is known for frequently changing his political allegiances, oscillating between the BJP and the RJD. His political turnaround in January of this year marked his second significant U-turn in less than 18 months and his fourth in the past 11 years.

The verdict

The video of Kumar speaking against Modi, being shared as a recent statement in the context of the 2024 general election, is old. It was recorded before he allied with the BJP in January 2024. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.