Want NDA's PM candidate announced before elections: Nitish Kumar

Amid intense debate over the Prime Ministerial candidate from NDA, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today supported the view that the nominee for the top post should be announced before elections and the candidate should be chosen in a meeting of the NDA.

"Yes, it should be done," he told reporters in reply to a question whether the name of the candidate for PM should be announced before polls.

Kumar, however, said he did not feel the name should be out a year before elections.

"I have never spoken about the time for the announcement," Kumar, JD(U) leader and BJP coalition partner, said.

Kumar supported the opinion of JD(U) President Sharad Yadav that the NDA's choice for PM should be decided in a meeting of the Opposition coalition.

The CM advised the media not to go overboard over the issue and leave the job to the politicians.

"The issue should not be repeated daily... the right of when and what (over selection of candidate) should be left to politicians like us," he added.

The overdose of news over the PM's post was creating "confusion", he said, adding it should not be a matter of daily discussion.

When asked who should be chosen for the PM's post, Kumar said he had already expressed his views on the subject in an interview to a daily newspaper. "My views on the subject (in the interview) was published prominently in newspapers," he said and refused to reiterate.

Kumar had said in the interview that the NDA nominee for the PM post should have secular credentials. The Bihar CM said there was no possibility of early Lok Sabha elections. He, however, said this would be decided by people sitting at the Centre.

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