Nitish Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu’s big hints on supporting Narendra Modi 3.0
Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, whom the poll pundits are calling the ‘kingmakers’ after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s subpar performance in the Lok Sabha elections, have dropped big hints on supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to form his third government at the Centre.
Nitish Kumar, after arriving in the national capital to participate in the National Democratic Alliance’s meeting, said the government will be formed. “Sarkar toh ab banegi hi,” he said in Hindi.
Kumar’s close confidant, JDU leader KC Tyagi said the former will firmly support the BJP-led government.
“This is just rumor-mongering. We are a part of NDA, and we have contested in elections under PM Modi’s leadership. Nitish Kumar is in Delhi and he will be submitting the letter in which JD(U) has proposed Narendra Modi as PM,” says JD(U) leader KC Tyagi.
Before leaving for Delhi, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu also said he was with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“You always want news. I am experienced and I have seen several political changes in this country. We are in NDA, I’m going to the NDA meeting. In course of time, we will report it,” he told reporters.
The BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, 32 short of the majority mark in the Lok Sabha. The party, which was hoping to win between 350 and 400 seats, will now have to rely on the support of its allies for government formation.
The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, performed better than expected. Belying exit polls that had written it off, the coalition of Opposition parties won over 230 seats.
As the gap between the two group’s narrowed, the INDIA bloc has reportedly sent feelers to BJP’s allies.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, whose party unexpectedly won 9 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, said Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar will not go with an autocrat.
“They have to decide whether they want to go with an autocrat and work in a democratic system. I don’t think they will go with an autocrat,” Raut told PTI.
He claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not form a government the third time.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively.