Nitish as Opposition's prime ministerial face an option if other parties want: JD(U) president

He said 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.

Amid a buzz that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may emerge as the Opposition's prime ministerial candidate, his party Janata Dal (United) said on August 19, 2022 if other parties want so, then this is an option.

JD(U) president Lalan Singh said Mr. Kumar's main focus is on uniting Opposition parties to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and he will visit the national capital to meet leaders from various parties after the vote of confidence in the Bihar assembly next week.

Mr. Kumar, Bihar's longest serving Chief Minister and the main face of the JD(U), is not a contender for the opposition's prime ministerial candidate, his close aide Mr. Singh told PTI.

Asked for the party's view in case of other Opposition parties backing him to take on the mantle, he said, "If other parties decide and want so, then it's an option."

The JD(U) president and Lok Sabha MP noted that many Opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal, called up Mr. Kumar to congratulate him after he snapped ties with the BJP and allied with its rivals to form a new government in Bihar.

He said 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.

"Or, all parties should fight unitedly to defeat the BJP and decide later who will be their leader. Both options are there. Nitish Kumar will work on bringing all other parties fighting the BJP on one platform to pose a united challenge to its rule," he said.