Nitish Kumar could be king or kingmaker in 2024.

Patna, June 4, 2024: With the BJP seemingly falling short of the Majority mark of 272 seats, and the Janata Dal United emerging as the single largest party in Bihar with 13 seats, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar once again appears poised to play the role of either kingmaker or king in this election.

Nitish Kumar-led NDA is leading on 31 seats:

According to the trends available during the counting of votes, NDA candidates are leading in 31 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Of these, JDU candidates are ahead in 12 seats, while the LJP (Ram Vilas) has taken decisive leads in all five of its seats.

The BJP is leading in 12 seats,  RJD in 4,  Congress in 3, CPI-ML in 2, and HAM has already won the Gaya seat, where Jitan Ram Manjhi is the candidate.

In Purnea, Pappu Yadav is leading by a slender margin of 365 votes.

These trends have sparked fresh whispers in political circles that Nitish Kumar’s stature has once again.

At the same time, Chirag Paswan appears to be heading towards a clean sweep of all the seats contested by his party.

JDU has an impressive performance in the Lok Sabha polls:

The strong performance of JDU has surprised many political observers. Just weeks before the Lok  Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar exited the Grand Alliance and rejoined the NDA—a move analysts predicted would damage his prospects. However, early results indicate that the Chief Minister has engineered yet another comeback. Earlier, while part of the  Grand Alliance, JDU had even suffered setbacks in assembly by-elections.

Seat-sharing within the NDA had also raised eyebrows, with the BJP allotting one seat fewer to the JDU compared to the 2019 arrangement, when both parties contested 17 seats each. This time, the BJP contested 17 seats, the JDU 16, and LJPR 5, while Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM contested one seat each.

As counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections progresses, political activity is intensifying across the country. With a close contest unfolding, sources indicate that leaders close to Sonia Gandhi have reached out to Nitish Kumar. NCP president Sharad Pawar is also said to have contacted the Bihar Chief Minister.

Following JDU’s strong showing, speculation about new political equations has gained momentum. Nitish Kumar, who played a key role in forming the INDIA bloc and was among the first to push for opposition unity, later switched sides and returned to the NDA. In such a situation, political chatter is growing over whether he might once again spring a surprise.

For now, trends suggest that the NDA is likely to return to power, but it has also become clear that the BJP may not secure a majority on its own. In such a scenario, the strength and stability of its allies—especially the JDU—will be crucial.

Also Read: Tejashwi Yadav said the CM Nitish Kumar government is bent on taking the lives of teachers.

EOM.