Kolkata:
On the political uncertainty in Bihar, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that the ultimate objective of the INDIA bloc is to change the Union government (BJP at the Centre), adding that seat-sharing is being discussed on a state-by-state basis.
Asserting that it is imperative for the political parties forming the INDIA bloc to mainly focus on taking on BJP in the Lok Sabha polls and resolving the seat sharing issues as there is no single formula for seat sharing permutations in every state.
The INDIA bloc is struggling to combat the inner differences amid the political crisis in Bihar. On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann have announced that they would go solo in their respective states in the Lok Sabha polls.
“This whole alliance and seat-sharing is being discussed on a state-by-state basis. No one is going to have a one-size-fits-all solution. In each state, the story is going to be different, ” Tharoor said while addressing the media in Kolkata.
“I think we are all focused on the imperative need to change the Union govt and that is the ultimate objective,” he added.
Earlier, the mega alliance suffered a setback after West Bengal CM Banerjee and her Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann announced that they would go solo in their respective states in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who left no stone unturned in uniting the oppoisition to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls, is likely to jump ship back to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Several NDA leaders including former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi have indicated an alliance breakdown between JD(U)-RJD.
Earlier today, BJP leader and Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey participated in the foundation laying ceremony of development works with CM Nitish Kumar.
“Whatever is God’s wish, will happen. The first time around, I only brought him (Nitish Kumar) here, and today also I have brought him,” he said.
Earlier, former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD President Lalu’s daughter, Rohini Acharya, took a swipe at RJD’s ruling ally, JDU, on X, posting that while the ‘socialist party’ (JDU) styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns, a statement that triggered cracks within the ruling alliance.
However, a few hours later, all three posts by Lalu’s daughter were deleted.
If Nitish Kumar crosses over to the NDA, this would be the fourth time he would be switching sides.
However, CM Kumar is yet to break his silence on the issue.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
