The political fraternity in Bihar on Tuesday racked its brains on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's worthiness for the post of the President of India, which is to fall vacant in a few months from now.
The ball has been set rolling by political strategist Prashant Kishor who met Nitish in Delhi last week and Maharashtra leader Nawab Malik who said that his party, headed by Sharad Pawar, was ready to back the JD(U) leader for the country's highest constitutional office if the latter snapped ties with BJP.
When Nitish Kumar was asked by journalists, he replied with folded hands that he had no thought of contesting the Presidential elections.
"I don't know how such rumours come out in public. I never thought of contesting the election for the Presidential post," he said while reaching Bhagalpur to restart the 'Samaj Sudhar Abhiyan (Social Reforms Campaign)'.
Meanwhile, HAM chief and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said he has no knowledge of such a development but gave Nitish Kumar his best wishes.
"I wish him to achieve a bigger and bigger constitutional post of the country. My best wishes to him," he said.
There were mixed reactions from the RJD, founded and headed by Kumar's arch rival Lalu Prasad, on the CM's name doing the rounds for the top job in the country.
Prasad's maverick elder son Tej Pratap Yadav questioned how could a "murder accused" be elected to the top post. He was referring to a nearly three decades old case in which Kumar has been acquitted by Supreme Court.
Upset over his father's conviction in yet another fodder scam case, he declared petulantly "Lalu ji will become the prime minister".
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, "As a Bihari I will be proud if a leader from the state became the President but Kumar, once seen as PM material by Laluji, lost his credibility following his realignment with BJP."
The tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind ends in July. The electoral college comprises members of both Houses of Parliament besides legislative assemblies of states and union territories.
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