As results of the Lok Sabha elections started pouring in, N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), with 28 seats between them, hold the balance of the BJP-led National Democratic alliance (NDA) in their hands. Both parties have re-pledged their allegiance to the NDA and have confirmed that they will be present at the alliance’s meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
BJP has won 240 seats, well short of the 272 seats majority mark.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his victory speech at the party headquarters in Delhi credited both Mr. Kumar and Mr. Naidu for the NDA’s victory in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
As per reports, Mr. Nitish Kumar purportedly declined to meet Bihar BJP president Samrat Chaudhary, despite his repeated efforts to meet him on Tuesday. His refusal has spurred speculation, especially since there are talks that INDIA bloc leaders have approached him. However, senior JDU party leader K C Tyagi on Tuesday said they are with the NDA.
At a press conference in the Congress headquarters, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, when asked about Mr. Naidu and Mr. Kumar, said, “We are going to have a meeting [of INDIA bloc] tomorrow [on Wednesday]. These questions will be raised and answered there.
- Inputs from Agencies