The 3 ministries Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) will have its eyes on

Second only to the Telugu Desam Party in its heft in the NDA, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) plans to leverage the 12 seats it has won to negotiate plum portfolios in the cabinet, including the coveted Railways ministry, it is learnt.

Nitish was present in a meeting of NDA allies in the national capital on Thursday, hours aftersharing a flight with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav. “It’s just a coincidence that the two leaders were travelling to Delhi by the same flight,” JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express. “We’re strongly with the NDA and looking forward to a government under Narendra Modi for the third straight term.”

This support, sources say, will come at a price. Unlike 2019, when the JD(U) won 16 seats but was offered a single ministerial berth, since the BJP was in majority on its own, the 12 seats it managed this time are far more valuable, party leaders say.

The party, sources said, has its eyes on Railways, Rural Development and Jal Shakti ministries. Other choices could be Transport and Agriculture. “Nitish has held railways, agriculture and transport portfolios in the NDA government. We want our MPs to take up departments that can help develop the state. Jal Shakti is crucial in the context of Bihar facing a water crisis alongside challenges of a receding water table and flooding. We could also give a push to interlinking of river projects,” said a JD(U) leader.

The Rural Development ministry, the leader reasoned, could help boost rural infrastructure and economy. “And getting Railways would of course be a matter of pride for Bihar,” he said.

That’s not all – party leaders say they would want Nitish at the helm when the NDA fights the assembly polls in Bihar next year. They also dismissed speculation that