Nitish Kumar may not join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Bihar: Report

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar might not join the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, when it enters his state on January 29, sources told NDTV on Thursday, According to the report, the Janata Dal (United) chief is upset over delays in seat-sharing talks for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and remains “non-committal about his participation” in the yatra.

The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Bengal on Thursday. The yatra will cover 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 Assembly segments in 66 days. It began on January 14.

Besides, speculations are also rife that Nitish Kumar might return to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). India Today reported earlier in the day, citing BJP sources as saying that the BJP has set a condition for the JD(U) chief if he wants to return to the alliance. And that condition is: Kumar must quit as the chief minister.

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Pollster Jan Ki Baat also cited sources as saying that Nitish Kumar is set to return to the NDA and is mulling legal options to dissolve state assembly.

Nitish Kumar is a key figure in the INDIA coalition who switched from the BJP two years ago.  He had earlier rejected the post of convenor of the INDIA bloc, as per ANI sources.

The INDIA bloc suffered a huge setback on Wednesday as Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said that her party declared that the Trinamool Congress would fight alone in Bengal.

In Punjab too, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also ruled out a coalition with the Congress in the state for the general elections sets to take place this year. 

The India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was formed seven months ago to take on the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections.