Might seek special status for Bihar: JD(U) as BJP, allies brace for NDA meet

Ahead of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's meeting today, its ally Janata Dal (United) has a big demand. The BJP ally, which helped it sailed through Bihar, said that it might ask for a special status for Bihar. The party, however, maintained that it will remain a part of the NDA and that the JD(U) fought the election as part of the larger alliance. 

The JD(U) said that Bihar has not got the kind of economic support it should have received. "When Narendra Modi takes the oath as the Prime Minister for the third time, the people of Bihar expect a special package that will put the state on the path to becoming a more developed economy," JD(U) spokesperson Arvind Nishad told CNBC-TV18. 

While commenting on media reports suggesting that the JD(U) demanded a Railway Ministry, Nishad called it "media gossip" while highlighting that Nitish Kumar did great work in the railway department during his tenure as rail minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. 

He further said that any final decision will be taken by Kumar on whether to join the NDA. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that the party and Kumar would remain steadfast in their support to the NDA alliance.

In January this year, Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA after he broke ties with the RJD in Bihar and the INDIA bloc at the national level. He quit the INDIA alliance citing delays by the Congress in deciding on a seat-sharing formula. A month later, the JD(U) chief said that he was lost but now he is again back to NDA and will stay permanently with the alliance. 

In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP failed to reach the majority mark of 272 on its own. The NDA, however, managed to cross the majority mark by winning on 290 seats on the back of TDP and JD(U). In the general polls, Kumar's party won 12 out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.