Nitish Kumar denies reports of dissatisfaction

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday denied reports of dissatisfaction and hinted that he has no objection to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s projection as the prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc.

Speaking to reporters during an event in Patna commemorating the birth anniversary of late former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Nitish Kumar stated, “I have no desire for any post. In the meeting, I said select anyone of your choice but stressed the urgency of early seat distribution. The seat sharing issue will be resolved soon”.

He also quashed rumours of internal turmoil within the JD(U) and asserted that the party leaders were united and engaged in the state’s developmental work. He emphasized, “There is no trouble within the party. Everyone is actively involved in the work related to the state’s progress and recruitment processes are also underway”.

Recent reports have sparked speculation about changes within the JD(U), indicating that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar might be considering top-level changes during the party’s upcoming national executive and council meeting in New Delhi on December 29.

A section in the grand alliance and the opposition BJP has been hinting that Nitish Kumar was planning to change the party’s national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh during the meeting.

Amidst speculations regarding Nitish Kumar’s purported dissatisfaction with Mallikarjun Kharge’s projection as the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc, reports suggest that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached out to Nitish Kumar last week to discuss the issue.

The grand alliance leaders in Bihar blamed the BJP for “fanning rumours to create confusion out of fear because the INDIA bloc is getting stronger”.

There are also reports that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav discussed seat-sharing and cabinet expansion issues during a closed-door meeting last week. Sources claim that the Congress has been demanding around 6-8 seats for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The left parties have also intensified demands for substantial allocation of seats. There are also reports that JD(U) and RJD are aiming to settle on an equal division of seats for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.