JD-U hopeful of 3 'respectable' cabinet berths

The Janata Dal-United, the support of which along with the Telugu Desam Party is crucial for the new National Democratic Alliance government, will likely make a bid for 'up to three' cabinet berths, a senior leader of the Nitish Kumar-led party said on Thursday.

With 12 MPs, the JD-U is the second biggest Bharatiya Janata Party ally after the TDP's 16, and leaders of the saffron party are in touch with allies over ministerial berths and other issues.

"We are now eyeing up to three cabinet berths...," the JD-U leader said.

Another top party leader said it is hopeful of a 'respectable' representation in the Union Council of Ministers.

"The matter of cabinet berths will be decided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our party chief Nitish Kumar ji. But, it should be respectable," Shrawan Kumar, JD-U leader and Bihar Rural Development Minister, told PTI.

He also said the matter of representation in the Union cabinet should be decided keeping the 2025 Bihar assembly polls in mind.

In 2019, a 'token representation' of just one berth had been turned down by Nitish Kumar.

JD-U sources said the party is keen on portfolios such as railways, rural development, agriculture, water resources and heavy industries.

Among the frontrunners for ministerial berths in the party include its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha, Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', Kaushalendra Kumar, Ramprit Mandal and Lovely Anand, they said.

Earlier in the day, party leader K C Tyagi told reporters in New Delhi that it has demanded a review of the Agnipath scheme, and will 'pursue' the caste census issue.

He also said his party's support to the BJP was 'unconditional'.

"There is no pre-condition, there is unconditional support. But it is in our mind and heart that Bihar should be given special status. After bifurcation, the situation Bihar has faced, it can not be corrected without granting it special status," Tyagi said.

The backing of allies like the JD-U is crucial for the BJP, as it could not reach the majority mark on its own in the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP bagged 240 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, 32 short of an absolute majority, while the NDA secured 293 seats.