Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Meets PM Modi Ahead Of Floor Test On February 12

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Wednesday, days after ditching the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and the INDIA bloc to form a new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. The Bihar Chief Minister is also due to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda later in the day.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi pic.twitter.com/aILDt0AsIJ

— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2024

According to the sources, Nitish Kumar is likely to demand special packages for Bihar during his meeting with PM Modi. The meeting is taking place five days ahead of Nitish Kumar's government's scheduled floor test which is on February 12.

Issues related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in the state may also be discussed during the CM's meeting with top BJP leaders. It may be noted that six Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar are falling vacant, for which elections are scheduled to be held on February 27.

During his visit to the national capital, the Bihar Chief Minister is also likely to meet veteran BJP leader LK Advani, sources said. The Centre recently announced that BJP stalwart and Ram Temple movement leader LK Advani will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour.

Meanwhile, this is also the first visit of the Janata Dal (United) supremo after he dumped the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and the INDIA bloc to form a new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade.

Two Deputy Chief Ministers from the BJP, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers, including Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shrawan Kumar, and others, also took the oath earlier.