NDA unites under Modi; Nitish, Naidu send list of demands to BJP

With the BJP-led NDA all set to form government at the Centre for the third consecutive time, senior BJP leaders have already begun receiving demands from alliance partners who will play ‘kingmakers’ in government formation.

On Wednesday (June 5), a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) registered a win in the Lok Sabha polls for the third consecutive time, all the 15 political parties which are part of the alliance unanimously agreed to name Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the leader of the ruling bloc.

First steps towards govt formation

After taking the first step towards government formation, coalition partners have decided that the second step will be to call a meeting of the parliamentary party of the NDA on June 7. June 8 has been fixed as a tentative date for the swearing-in ceremony.

“The NDA meeting was just the first step and we have agreed to meet again on June 7 for the parliamentary party meeting. The process of government formation will start after this meeting. All the alliance partners of the NDA have unanimously decided to name Prime Minister Modi as the leader of the ruling alliance and we want to complete government formation soon,” Afaque Ahmed, national general secretary of JD(U) told The Federal after the meeting on Wednesday.

Special status on Nitish, Naidu’s agenda

Even before talks over government formation and portfolio distribution can start, NDA partners who are expected to play a key role in helping the BJP form government at the Centre, have put forth their demands in return for their support to the alliance.

Interestingly, both Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu – set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh – and JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, want special status and a special package for their respective states under the Modi government.

Nitish also wants the Centre to announce a nationwide caste based census. The Bihar government is under pressure from Rashtriya Janata Dal in the state to get a special package for Bihar and also to ensure a nationwide caste based census to be conducted.

“The demand for special status for Bihar has been on JD(U)’s agenda for the past two decades. Nitish Kumar has played a national role for the past four decades and given the political circumstances in the country, it is expected that he will again play a crucial role. We want special status for Bihar and caste based census. It is up to the chief minister to present these demands to the NDA partners,” Arvind Nishad, national spokesperson of JD(U), told The Federal.

TDP keen on funds for metro project, Amaravati

Besides special status and special package for Andhra Pradesh, the TDP leadership is also keen to get funds for metro project in Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada and additional allocation for development of Amaravati as the capital city of the state.

“There is no doubt we want special status for Andhra Pradesh. We also want a special package for metro projects in Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada, funds for the Polavaram project, and additional funds for Amaravati. We basically want additional funds for these projects,” Kalva Srinivasulu, former minister and senior TDP leader, told The Federal.

‘Difficult-to-please allies’

Political analysts say it may prove to be a herculean task for the BJP to please both Nitish and Naidu, whose ties with NDA goes back to the time of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Nitish and Naidu have been with NDA since the time of former prime minister Vajpayee. Both the regional leaders were demanding with Vajpayee and they will once again start making their demands with the present leadership of BJP. It will not be easy to please these two leaders for the BJP leadership,” Ashutosh Kumar, political science professor at Panjab University, told The Federal.