Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar was offered the prime ministerial position by the INDIA bloc to entice him into the alliance, but he declined, as claimed by a party leader KC Tyagi in an exclusive interview with a leading news channel.
In the interview, Tyagi asserted, “Nitish Kumar received an offer from the INDIA bloc to become the Prime Minister. This offer came from the same people who did not allow him to become the convenor of the INDIA bloc. He has refused it, and we remain firmly with the NDA.”
The revelation came amid speculation that the INDIA bloc had been courting the JD(U) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), both allies of the BJP-led NDA, in an effort to gather enough support to form a government at the Centre.
Defying exit poll predictions, the INDIA bloc performed strongly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, winning 234 out of 543 seats. The NDA, however, secured 293 seats, with the BJP obtaining 240, which is 32 seats short of the majority mark. When asked to identify the leader or leaders who offered the prime ministerial post to Nitish Kumar, Tyagi declined to name anyone.
Tyagi shared, “Some leaders wanted to approach Nitish Kumar directly with the offer. However, after the treatment he and our party leaders received, we left the INDIA bloc. We have joined the NDA and there’s no question of looking back now.”
Nitish Kumar, infamous for switching sides, was the architect of the INDIA bloc and chaired its first meeting in Patna last year. He left the opposition alliance and returned to the NDA fold in January 2024.
Kumar’s party won 12 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, and he attended the NDA parliamentary meeting on Friday where Narendra Modi was elected as the NDA Parliamentary Party Leader.
The JD(U) chief has a history of changing alliances. In 2013, he severed ties with the BJP and allied with the RJD and Congress. After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he rejoined the BJP in 2020, becoming Chief Minister. Two years later, he broke ties with the BJP again and formed a government with the RJD and Congress. In January this year, he switched back to the NDA and resumed his role as Chief Minister.
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