JD(U) chief says Nitish Kumar can be prime ministerial candidate

New Delhi: JD(U) president Lalan Singh said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar can be the opposition's prime ministerial candidate if the other parties want to.

There have been rumours that Kumar may run for PM. The JD(U) president and Lok Sabha MP noted that many opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal, called Kumar to congratulate him for ending the party's alliance with BJP.

Singh added that Nitish Kumar's main focus is on uniting opposition parties to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He will be visiting Delhi to meet leaders from various parties after the vote of confidence in the Bihar assembly next week.

About other opposition parties backing Nitish Kumar to become PM, Singh said: "If other parties decide and want so, then it's an option." He added that all opposition parties should sit together to decide on the leadership to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

He further said the other option is to fight the election unitedly to defeat the BJP and decide later who will be their leader. " Nitish Kumar will work on bringing all other parties fighting the BJP on one platform to pose a united challenge to its rule."

JD(U) has been BJP's ally since 1996 except for a period between 2013-2017. Nitish Kumar decided to break the ties fearing a Maharashtra model power struggle in Bihar. After the bold move, speculations about his prime ministerial bid started.

BJP often uses allegations of corruption and nepotism to target opposition party leaders. Nitish Kumar has an image free of both which makes him a likely candidate to oppose PM Narendra Modi.