Nitish Kumar may stay in Delhi till Narendra Modi takes oath as PM: Sources

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will stay in Delhi until Narendra Modi takes oath as Prime Minister on June 8, JD(U) sources told India Today.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was able to cross the majority mark with 292 seats, followed by the opposition-led INDIA bloc at 234.

On Wednesday, the NDA alliance elected Narendra Modi as its leader and will meet President Droupadi Murumu on June 7 to stake claim to form the government at the centre.

Ahead of staking the claim, the details regarding the government’s formation will be discussed among leaders of the NDA bloc, especially TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu and JD (U)’s Nitish Kumar.

In light of this, BJP chief JP Nadda will be hosting a NDA meeting at his residence at 10:30 a.m. today, according to the sources. Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and the party’s National General Secretary BL Santosh, along with other senior leaders, will also be present during the meeting.

As per the sources, Nitish Kumar is expecting to get a key cabinet ministry in the new government. While the TDP is eager to secure the post of Speaker in the Lok Sabha, the BJP has not yet made any official comment on this.

The TDP secured 16 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, while the JDU garnered 12 of the 40 seats in Bihar. The BJP fell short of a majority this time with victory with only 240 Lok Sabha seats. With the help of allies, the NDA scrapped past the majority mark with 292 seats.