JDU Leader Claims Nitish Kumar Was Offered PM Post By INDIA Bloc, But He Refused

After the Lok Sabha election 2024 results, BJP faced a challenge as it failed to secure the majority mark on its own. The party’s NDA allies, including Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JDU, emerged as key players in the formation of the new coalition government. Speculations arose regarding Nitish Kumar’s potential return to the INDIA bloc. However, in a surprising turn of events, all NDA MPs, including Kumar and Naidu, extended their support to PM Modi for a third consecutive term. Now, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi disclosed that Nitish Kumar was offered the prime ministerial post by the Opposition INDIA bloc in a bid to bring him into the alliance, but he declined the offer.

“Nitish Kumar got an offer from the INDIA bloc to become the Prime Minister. He got the offer from those people who did not allow him to become the convenor of the INDIA bloc. He has refused it and we are firmly with the NDA,” Tyagi was quoted as saying by India Today.

With 12 Lok Sabha seats under his belt, Nitish Kumar has positioned himself as a crucial figure in national politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), having secured 240 seats, is heavily reliant on Kumar’s support to form a government. Recent reports indicate that the INDIA bloc has approached Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, who won 16 seats, to seek their backing. Both leaders have pledged their support to Narendra Modi, the prime minister-designate, while simultaneously putting forth their demands for cabinet positions.

When asked to name which leader or leaders offered the prime ministerial post to Nitish Kumar, Tyagi refused to name anyone. “Some leaders wanted to approach Nitish Kumar directly for the offer. But we left the INDIA bloc after the treatment that was meted out to him and our party leaders. We have joined NDA and there’s no question of looking back now,” Tyagi was quoted as saying by the publication.

Meanwhile, Party workers in Patna have prominently displayed a large poster featuring the Bihar Chief Minister, accompanied by the words ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ (Tiger is alive). In response to the poster, several party leaders asserted that labeling Nitish Kumar as the ‘tiger’ is appropriate, saying that his influence significantly bolstered the NDA’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls within the state.