Did Nitish Kumar meet INDIA bloc leaders in Delhi post Lok Sabha results? No, visuals are old

What is the claim?

Following the Lok Sabha election results in India, various political factions are deliberating terms for government formation. Amid this, photos and a video have surfaced on social media showing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar meeting Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. These visuals suggest that Kumar is in New Delhi to confer with leaders from the INDIA bloc.

After the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were announced, political parties and their allies engaged in discussions to shape the next government due to the absence of a single party obtaining the required majority of 272 seats.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 292 seats, the oppositional Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, led by the Congress, acquired 234 seats.

For the NDA to comfortably form the next government, it relies on continued support from alliance partners like the JD(U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP). There's speculation that the INDIA alliance is seeking the support of JD(U) and TDP. Both parties hold significant influence, with 12 and 16 Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

In the midst of these discussions, a user on X (formerly Twitter) shared two photos with the caption, “Nitish Kumar babu reached Delhi and met high profile leaders of the INDIA alliance and talks are going on with Chandra Babu Naiduji and the top leadership of INDIA Alliance. The people's leader Shri Rahul Gandhi had said to have it in writing that Modi will not become Prime Minister in 2024 (sic).” An archived version of the post can be viewed here, and similar posts can be viewed here and here.

Users on X also circulated a video showing Kumar and Yadav being greeted by Kharge and Gandhi, with all four of them posing for photos. The video was captioned, "The game is still on at the Congress office." Archived versions of the post can be found here and here. 

Screenshot of the claims made on social media. (Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the viral photos and video clips are not recent but are from April 2023 when Kumar's JD(U), the RJD, and the Congress formed a coalition government in Bihar.

Here are the facts

Image 1

A reverse image search of the photo of Kumar shaking hands with Gandhi led to a report by The New Indian Express published on April 13, 2023, with photo credits to PTI.

The report mentioned that Kumar, along with Yadav, met Kharge and Gandhi to discuss the possibility of forming an anti-BJP front before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This occurred when the JD(U) had formed an alliance with Congress and RJD in Bihar. The same picture was also published by Hindustan Times and India Today on April 13, 2023.

Image 2

This picture of Kumar posing with Kharge, Gandhi, Yadav, and the then JD(U) President Rajiv Ranjan Singh was published by several media outlets, including The Indian Express and LiveMint, on April 13, 2023.

The picture is from the same meeting, which was intended to discuss the formation of an anti-BJP opposition before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi also shared this image (archived here) on his X account on April 12, 2023, and Kharge shared pictures from this meeting as well.

The viral video clip

The video clip shared on X is also from the same meeting and was uploaded to Navbharat Times' YouTube channel on April 12, 2023.

Similar clips from the 2023 meeting can be found on News18's YouTube channel, and The Print also reported on the same meeting in 2023.

It's important to note that Kumar severed ties with the NDA in 2022 and joined the Congress-RJD coalition in Bihar. However, he rejoined the NDA in 2024 after exiting the INDIA bloc. His party contested the 2024 elections as part of the NDA, and on June 6, 2024, Kumar was present at a meeting of the NDA and its allies where a resolution was passed to endorse Narendra Modi as the next prime minister.

The verdict

The claim that Nitish Kumar met the leaders of the INDIA bloc after the Lok Sabha election results is false. The viral photos are from April 2023 and have no connection with recent political events.