Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was offered the prime ministerial post by the Opposition INDIA bloc, but he declined, according to JD(U) leader KC Tyagi in an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak/India Today TV on Saturday. Tyagi revealed that despite being offered the post by those who previously did not support him as the convenor of the INDIA bloc, Kumar refused and confirmed JD(U)’s firm alliance with the NDA.

Congress leader KC Venugopal denied any knowledge of such an offer. “We have no such information. Only he knows about this (claim),” he stated at a press conference.

This claim surfaced amid speculation that the INDIA bloc was trying to attract JD(U) and TDP, both allies of the BJP-led NDA, to boost their numbers for forming a government at the Centre. The INDIA bloc won 234 out of 543 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, while the NDA secured 293 seats, with the BJP winning 240 seats, 32 short of the majority mark.

Tyagi did not disclose the leaders who offered the prime ministerial post to Kumar. He mentioned that despite some leaders wanting to approach Kumar directly, the JD(U) chose to leave the INDIA bloc due to the treatment of their party leaders and joined the NDA with no intention of returning to the opposition alliance.

Kumar, known for his political U-turns, was initially a key figure in the INDIA bloc and chaired its first meeting in Patna last year. He left the opposition alliance and rejoined the NDA in January 2024. His party won 12 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls, and he attended the NDA parliamentary meeting on Friday to elect Narendra Modi as the NDA Parliamentary Party Leader.

Over the years, Kumar has switched alliances multiple times. In 2013, he left the BJP to ally with the RJD and Congress. After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he rejoined the BJP in 2020, becoming Chief Minister. He broke ties with the BJP again in 2022 to ally with the RJD and Congress but returned to the NDA in January 2024, resuming his role as Chief Minister.