The Lok Sabha elections are done and dusted, but the anticipation for the 2024 cabinet members is continuous. However, all the NDA leaders selected the Prime Minister as their PM candidate unanimously, and the demands from the branded ‘Kingmakers’ are yet to be fulfilled.
After the unforeseen poll verdict, two parties, Nitish Kumar’s JDU and N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, with 12 and 16 seats, respectively, emerged as the highly demanded parties, with both the NDA and INDIA bloc seeking their loyalty.
Although Kumar and Naidu have pledged their allegiances to the NDA, they do possess adept negotiation skills and understand the importance of leveraging their support. Had the BJP achieved a majority independently, allies would have had to accept whatever they were offered. Yet, with the numbers falling short of a clear majority, a strategic opportunity has emerged, one that these seasoned politicians are poised to seize.
Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party has asked for two ministries along with the position of Lok Sabha House speaker in exchange for his party’s commitment, reports indicated.
Meanwhile, JDU leader KC Tyagi, while talking to the media, said that Bihar requires special status for the state. He expressed the expectation that, considering the significant support received from Bihar, the new government would take the initiative to grant Bihar special status and conduct a nationwide caste census. However, he added that JDU’s support for the NDA is unconditional.
A preferential status for Andhra Pradesh is another key issue that may come up in the negotiations. In fact, it was a dispute over a special status demand that prompted Mr Naidu to part ways with the BJP in 2016.