"No one more capable than CM Nitish Kumar as PM candidate": Bihar Dy speaker

Patna (Bihar) [India]: Deputy Speaker of Bihar Legislative Assembly Maheshwar Hazari on Sunday claimed that there is no other leader more capable than Nitish Kumar to emerge as the face of the PM candidate and that the leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc will make an announcement on this in the near future.

Hazari, a Janata Dal (United) leader was responding to queries on the preparations of the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"CM Nitish Kumar has all the qualities needed for PM...Whenever the INDIA alliance will announce the name for the PM candidate, it will be Nitish Kumar's name...," he told ANI on Sunday.

The opposition alliance INDIA bloc has not announced the PM face for the big-stakes battle during their three meetings held this year.

Hazariya also recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had once remarked "If there is any tall socialist leader after Rammanohar Lohiya in the country, it is Nitish Kumar ji".

The JD(U) leader said that Nitish Kumar has served as minister at the Centre five times and is serving as the chief minister of the state for 18 years.

Nitish Kumar has however several times said that he has no prime ministerial ambitions but will lead the opposition's efforts to fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

INDIA or ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a group of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress.

The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The first meeting of the joint opposition was convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting was held in Mumbai on August 31-September 1