New Delhi/Patna : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has purportedly refused to meet BJP State chief Samrat Chaudhary despite the latter's repeated efforts to meet him on Tuesday, a day when Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and NCP (Saratchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar allegedly spoke to the JD(U) chief, according to sources.
The political speculation soared over the reports that Nitish Kumar, who joined the NDA alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, may play a 'Palturam' once again. It has been claimed that Bihar's Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary has even gone to the Chief Minister's residence to meet him amid these reports.
The speculation on this received further boost with 'Nitish for All' posters cropping up at the office of the Janata Dal (United) in Patna on the day of counting on Tuesday.
However, Sharad Pawar had issued a statement, stating that he had not spoken to Nitish Kumar. The Congress leadership is yet to respond on these reports.
Meanwhile, according to sources, there are rumours that Nitish Kumar may be offered the post of Deputy PM by the INDIA alliance. However, no official statement has come regarding this yet. NDA has an edge in the trends of Bihar and JDU, which is a part of NDA, is emerging as one of the largest parties.
If these trends turn into results, then JDU's role will become important in forming the government at the centre. This is the reason why the INDIA alliance has already intensified its efforts to win back Nitish Kumar to their side.
According to the trends, NDA candidates are leading in 31 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Janata Dal United candidates are leading on 13 seats. LJP has taken a decisive lead on all its 5 seats. BJP is leading on only 12 seats. Nitish Kumar's stature has increased again. It is said about Nitish Kumar that Nitish is an expert in pressure politics and always keeps the doors of other possibilities open. The way Nitish has changed sides in the last few years is also a testimony to this.
On Monday, a day before the Lok Sabha results, Nitish Kumar met PM Narendra Modi in Delhi. It is believed that Nitish met the PM to discuss strategies for the formation of a new government at the Centre. Apart from this, Nitish also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The trends that are coming at the moment suggest that this time BJP is unlikely to get a clear majority on its own, although BJP along with its allies seems to be crossing the majority mark. In such a situation, one thing is clear that this time, BJP's future depends on the role of allies in the formation of the new government at the centre.
Earlier, during the election campaign, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had said that the Bihar CM can take a big decision after the results are declared on June 4. However, JDU leaders reacted strongly to this statement of Tejashwi and termed it as misleading.
