Lok Sabha election results 2024: What if ‘kingmakers’ Naidu, Nitish abandon NDA?
If either of the two kingmakers end up ditching the NDA
As the Lok Sabha election results 2024 on Tuesday (June 4) gave a weak mandate for the governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar has emerged as the man of the momemt.
Nitish is infamous for switching allegiances and joined the NDA barely five months ago. Nitish Kumar played a major role in setting up the INDIA alliance with other opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, before leaving it abruptly.
INDIA bloc offers deputy PM seat to Nitish Kumar: Report
At the time of writing this, JD (U) is leading in 12 seats in Bihar, the eastern state where Nitish Kumar is currently the chief minister.
As per reports, the INDIA bloc has already started making overtures to Nitish Kumar and has offered him the deputy prime minister's post if he ditches the NDA and joins INDIA bloc.
The JDU is currently leading in 12seats. As per earlier reports, senior INDIA bloc leader Sharad Pawar had called up Nitish and discussed poll results with him.Pawar, however, rubbishedthe report later.
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Now, it would be interesting to see how Nitish Kumar goes about his business as he becomes much sought-after entity in Indian politics.
The NDA needs him to run a stable government at the centre. The NDA is currently hovering around 290-295 seats, just 20 seats above the majority mark of 272.
If Kumar ditches NDA, he would end up ruining the prospects of Modi 3.0, the name given to the possible third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
TheChandrababu Naidu factor
Nitish Kumar is not the BJP's only Achilles' heel.
Chandrababu Naidu, who also joined the NDA just months ago, is not new to dealing with the grand old party Congress.Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is expected to win 16 seats, having emerged crucial in helping NDA cross over the 272 mark.
Interestingly, Naidu was an NDA partner when Modi first stormed to victory in the 2014 elections but later he abandoned the bloc in 2018.
Later,his TDP not only contested the Telangana Assembly polls in alliance with the Congress but even tried to stitch an Opposition alliance with the Congress ahead of 2019 polls.
Will history repeat itself? You never know.
The numbers game
If either of the two kingmakers end up ditching the NDA, it will leave Modi 3.0 hanging by a thread.
If both decide to shore up INDIA bloc, the world's biggest democracy may see a change in leadership after a decade.
If we take out TDP's 16 seatsand JDU's 12 from NDA's 290tally, the alliance will very well fall short of the 272-majority mark, at the time of writing this.