Kapil Sibal: Potential “kingmakers” Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal-United (JDU) and Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have emerged as the party’s leaders after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the Lok Sabha elections without securing a majority. Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal said on Wednesday that he hoped the two leaders adhered to the principles they supported while serving as chief ministers.
Sibal Commends Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu’s Commitment to Federalism
“Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu have always maintained the federal structure. A few years ago, Naidu Ji said that a dictatorial government cannot run. And whatever the ED and CBI are doing without the consent of the states, is not acceptable”, Sibal said. “I salute them for upholding those values and I hope that they uphold the values that they stood by when they were chief ministers.” he added.
Tuesday was the day for the 2024 Lok Sabha election tallying. The Election Commission of India reports that the BJP won 240 seats, a significant decrease from its 2019 total of 303 seats. In contrast, the Congress saw a significant increase, gaining 99 seats. Defying all expectations and posing fierce competition, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark.
TDP’s Electoral Success in Andhra Pradesh Boosts BJP Alliance
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been granted a third term, the BJP will mostly need the backing of JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar and TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu.
In the Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha elections, Naidu’s TDP won 16 seats, while the JDU won 12 seats in Bihar.In the meantime, the leader of the TDP has said that he is “a part of NDA” and offered the BJP his support.
Chandrababu Naidu Affirms Support for NDA at Press Conference
“I have witnessed a great deal of change in the nation’s politics. I have an NDA. I’m attending the NDA gathering. At a press conference in Vijaywada,” Naidu said. Naidu offered his support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and stated, “If there is anything else, we will report to you.”
Later on Wednesday, JDU Chief Nitish Kumar—who just so happened to travel to Delhi on the same plane as Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD—is anticipated to present a letter of support to the BJP. Disagreements with the RJD caused Kumar to defect earlier this year and join the BJP-led NDA, which brought down the Bihar administration.