Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav to Fly Together to Delhi Amid Government Formation Talks

With intense discussions underway to form the next government at the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal United (JDU) leader Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will be flying to Delhi together on Wednesday. They will board a Vistara flight at 10:30 am.

People are curious about what might happen between the two leaders during the flight, as the Congress-led INDIA bloc considers forming the government. Nitish and Tejashwi were alliance partners until recently, before Nitish switched sides to support the BJP.

The JDU has stated it will remain with the BJP-led NDA to form the government at the Centre. Both the JDU and BJP have won 12 seats each in Bihar, while their ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by Chirag Paswan, has won five seats. JDU leaders will meet with Nitish Kumar on Wednesday morning to discuss government formation.

JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi reaffirmed the party's commitment to the NDA, despite speculation about the INDIA bloc reaching out to Nitish Kumar. “Under Nitish Kumar's leadership, JD(U) supports the NDA. We are with the NDA and will continue to be,” Tyagi said.

Sources told CNN-News18 that NCP chief and INDIA bloc ally Sharad Pawar contacted Nitish Kumar as election results were coming in. Shortly after, Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary visited Nitish’s residence.

Nitish, known for frequently switching alliances, now plays a crucial role as the BJP won 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, 32 short of a majority. The NDA has 292 seats in total, needing all partners to remain loyal.

LJP leader Chirag Paswan, who also met with Nitish Kumar, confirmed their support for the NDA. After meeting Nitish, Paswan said they were going to Delhi for the NDA meeting to congratulate the CM and discuss the next steps.