“We are with you…”: Nitish Kumar Throws Weight Behind Narendra Modi for Prime Minister

Bihar Chief Minister, and JDU chief, Nitish Kumar on Friday officially supported Narendra Modi for another term as Prime Minister during a meeting of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's new MPs in Delhi. In his speech, he also took a swipe at his old allies, i.e. the INDIA alliance for not doing much for the welfare of the country.

"We will stay with you for whatever you need. We are with you…The Janata Dal (United) supports the leader of the NDA, Narendra Modi, for the position of Prime Minister of India,” said Nitish Kumar who has earned the moniker of “Paltu Ram” for his series of flip flops, the most recent switch to NDA from the INDIA folds in January this year.

Following his address, Nitish Kumar attempted to show his respect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by reaching out to touch his feet. However, Modi stopped him and instead, they exchanged hugs.

Nitish Kumar’s declaration also serves as a response to speculations suggesting overtures from the opposition bloc, which had won 232 seats but fell short of securing Kumar's support. With Kumar's Janata Dal (United) poised to be part of Modi's third government, his endorsement holds significant weight for the BJP, which is reliant on coalition partners to secure a stable majority in parliament. As one of the key players post the Lok Sabha elections, with his JDU holding 12 seats and Chandrababu Naidu's TDP holding 16, Kumar's support becomes crucial for Modi's BJP, which fell short of the majority mark.​