As suspense builds over the formation of government at the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday morning flew to Delhi on the same flight coincidentally to attend meetings as BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition INDIA bloc huddle to plan their next move.

Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav boarded the Patna-Delhi Vistara flight UK-718 and arrived in the national capital at around 10.40 am.

Amid opposition outreach buzz, Nitish Kumar, known for his record of political flip-flops, reached Delhi. Kumar’s close aide and JDU leader KC Tyagi told news agency ANI yesterday that the party will stay in NDA and rejected any speculation of a switch to the INDIA bloc.

According to the final results declared by the Election Commission of India on Wednesday, the BJP won 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 272, while the Congress secured 99. The NDA camp collectively secured 292 seats while the INDIA bloc managed to win 232 seats. The 2024 results were a far cry from the 303 and 282 seats the BJP had won in 2019 and 2014, respectively, to have a majority on its own.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar on the way to Delhi as NDA, INDIA bloc plan next move; Naidu to leave shortly

Even though NDA was ahead of the 272-majority mark needed to form a government, PM Narendra Modi would now have to depend on coalition and support from disparate regional parties whose political loyalties have wavered over the years.

The Union cabinet’s meeting is scheduled for around 3.30 pm, while the INDIA bloc’s meeting will be held in the national capital at 6 pm.

Nitish Kumar stands at an advantageous position as Janata Dal United won 12 out of 40 seats in Bihar, while the BJP won 12 seats.

As the video of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav flying together to Delhi went viral, after touch down in Delhi, Tejashwi said, “Have some patience. Wait & watch. We greeted each other. Baaki kya hota hai, aage dekhte dekhte rahiye.”

Tejashwi Yadav, before leaving for Delhi, told reporters, “The RJD has increased its number of seats in Parliament and garnered over one crore votes. Our performance has been very good. We had contested the elections on real issues. The INDIA bloc got the blessings of Lord Ram. One thing is very clear… the Modi factor is now finished. The BJP is now dependent on its allies for majority.”

Also Read: Election Results 2024: Modi 3.0 to bank on Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar

“We will obviously try,” Tejashwi Yadav said, while responding to a query on whether the INDIA bloc will try to form the government.