PATNA: JD(U) has started officially projecting party chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar him as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 general elections and wants all secular forces to unite and contest under his leadership.Although the top JD(U) functionaries are holding their cards close to their chest, party spokesperson Bharti Mehta on Tuesday told TOI that Nitish Kumar was unanimously accepted across the country as a "progressive and visionary statesman". "As the Bihar CM, he has empowered women through his initiatives like reservation in civic bodies, bicycle scheme for schoolgirls and prohibition. His 'Saat Nischay', or seven resolves, are a masterstroke for development as they include free electricity and water connections to every household and 35% reservation for women in government jobs in the state," she said. All secular and socialist forces should, therefore, unite and project Nitish asPM, said Bharti.

Source: Times of India March 29, 2017 00:43 UTC