Kingmakers show Modi who's the Boss

New Delhi, NT Bureau: Hard bargaining is reportedly on in the national capital with leaders of key NDA partners including Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pressing for pivotal Cabinet posts and also the prime post of Lok Sabha Speaker ahead of government formation.

The NDA is set to claim the right to form the new government considering that the BJP has emerged as the single largest party after the polls with 240 seats while the NDA has crossed the 272-majority mark with 290 seats.

The saffron party is however crucially reliant on support from its allies to form the government for the third consecutive time.

“The move (to secure the Speaker's post) is to insulate alliance partners from the adverse impact of any possible split (with the BJP) in future. The Speaker’s role is crucial in implementing the antidefection law because the time and nature of the final decision is entirely left to the Speaker," said sources close to the developments, as reported by Indian Express.

According to India Today, Naidu has demanded Central Minister posts for TDP and Janasena MPs and is eyeing portfolios like Health, Rural Development, Transport, IT, Agriculture and the Jal Shakti Ministry. He is also said to have demanded the finance ministry.

"I am experienced and I have seen several political changes in this country. We are in the NDA, I'm going to the NDA meeting in Delhi," Naidu had said earlier on Wednesday.

Nitish Kumar, who won 12 of the 40 LS seats in Bihar, is bargaining hard and seeking more ministerial berths in the next Modi government.

He has reportedly demanded 3 Cabinet berths. The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which won five LS seats, is likely to press for one Cabinet and one state minister post. Karnataka JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, whose party won two seats, hinted that his party was interested in the Agriculture portfolio, claims a report.

The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde which won seven seats, has reportedly sought one Cabinet and two Minister of State(MoS) berths in the Modi 3.0 government.