Amid reports of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being approached by the alliance he proposed and abandoning them midway through the Lok Sabha elections, RLD's Chirag Paswan and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi have assured support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 is currently underway, but indications portray the NDA will secure a narrow victory. BJP is coming out as the single largest party, to cross the 272 Lok Sabha seat mark only with allies. Although the I.N.D.I.A bloc is unlikely to reach the magic figure, a strategic combination could still propel the Congress-led alliance to the government formation at the Centre.
Chirag Paswan, in an X post, said: "Once again - Modi Government! I and my party Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) stand firmly in support of the country's successful Prime Minister, respected Shri @narendramodi. NDA is going to form the government with full majority under the leadership of Prime Minister. The country is going to get a strong and powerful government for the third time."
An NDA ally, Jitan Ram Manjhi also echoed similar sentiments, saying, "HAM were, are and will remain with Narendra Modi. Tomorrow we are all reaching Delhi and Once again we will make respected Prime Minister @narendramodi the Prime Minister."
I.N.D.I.A has offered key positions to lure two NDA partners, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United) (JDU), as per sources. The potential offer includes the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Nitish Kumar and special status for Andhra Pradesh, sources told ABP News. Power positioning by the opposition bloc may lure in two NDA partners which will then likely propel the opposition to form the government at the centre.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have reached out to Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key NDA partner, sources from ABP News told ABP News. Sources informed that the BJP has offered Naidu the role of convener for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The TDP was leading in 16 seats as of the last updates.
In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister and Congress ally MK Stalin has also contacted Naidu to seek his support for the I.N.D.I.A bloc, sources told ABP News.
In Bihar, Sharad Pawar has approached Nitish Kumar to garner support for the I.N.D.I.A bloc, for which the Bihar CM took the initiative. However, a JDU spokesperson has said that the party would remain with the BJP-led NDA, despite Nitish Kumar's history of political shifts and his role in proposing a "united Opposition."