The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has failed to secure a majority on its own. With the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing a majority , the focus has now shifted to Janata Dal United (JDU)’s Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party (TDP)’s Chandrababu Naidu, who have emerged as kingmakers, to form the government. The BJP won 240 seats, well short of the 272 seats needed to form the government on its own, but with NDA securing 292 seats, the BJP is set to take charge of the Centre for the third time in a row. 

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s timely jump from INDIA to NDA now seems a brilliant move in hindsight, now that he is one of the key holders in the government formation.

As the Lok Sabha Election results trickling out on June 4, there were reports of opposition INDI Alliance approaching Kumar with a lucrative deputy PM’s post.

The other prominent leader that BJP will seek support of, is Chandrababu Naidu, who was locked up not long before India’s general elections on corruption charges.

With PM Modi’s call for an NDA meeting in Delhi today, the two leaders suddenly find themselves in a position of power.

“We are in NDA. I am going for an NDA meeting,” Naidu said at a press conference while facing a volley of questions from media persons about the reported attempts by the INDIA bloc to contact him to form a government at the Centre.

“In course of time, if there is anything, we will inform you,” he remarked while refusing to answer any queries.

“I am also experienced. I have seen so many political changes in this country,” Naidu concluded.

Attending the same meeting would be Nitish Kumar, too.

In a strange turn of events, Kumar left for the meeting on the same flight as opposition leader Tejaswi Yadav, who was also headed to Delhi to attend the opposition INDIA bloc’s meeting.

Both the leaders were seen in one flight of Vistara Airlines. Tejashwi Yadav was sitting just behind Nitish Kumar on the flight. The flight took off from Patna at 10.45 am.

When Yadav was asked about Nitish Kumar travelling on the same flight, he said, “I don’t know about it.”

Both leaders, Kumar and Yadav, have reportedly reached Delhi and will join their respective meetings.

The NDA will decide the cabinet in today’s meeting, where players like Kumar and Naidu will have an upper hand.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi had stated that the GOP and INDIA will decide today on whether to sit as opposition or form a government.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)