Not PM post, it's united opposition on Nitish's mind right now

New Delhi, Sep 06: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar denied speculations on his prime ministerial candidature saying that "I am not even a claimant, I do not even desire it."

Nitish Kumar, who is on a three-day visit to Delhi met CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury in a bid to unite the opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"It is time for the Left parties, Congress and all regional parties to come together to form a united opposition," Kumar told reporters after meeting Yechury at the party office.

"I have had a long association with the CPI-M from my younger days. You all have not seen me, but whenever I used to come to Delhi, I used to come to this office. Today we are again all together. Our entire focus is to unite all Left parties, the regional parties, Congress. This will be a big deal if all of us come together," he said.

The JD-U leader, who severed his party's ties with the BJP-led NDA last month, also met CPI general secretary D Raja.

"Time has come that all secular democratic parties, Left parties, and regional parties must come together and fight unitedly to defeat BJP, in the interest of the country & its future. That's what Nitish ji has been trying. We're with him, he's with us," said CPI leader D Raja after meeting Nitish Kumar.

Asked about his aspirations to be prime minister, Kumar said, "This is wrong. I am not a claimant for the post, nor am I desirous of it."

According to Yechury, Kumar returning to the Opposition fold and his desire to be part of a fight against the BJP is a great signal for Indian politics.

"First, the agenda is to unite all parties, not to decide on the PM candidate. When the time comes we will decide on the PM candidate and let you all know," he said.

Kumar, who came here on Monday, met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Janata Dal (Secular) chief H D Kumaraswamy.

He is also likely to meet other opposition leaders, including NCP's Sharad Pawar, AAP's Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, and INLD's Om Prakash Chautala.