New Delhi/IBNS: Amid speculations over his political inclinations, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday attended the NDA meeting with his support for Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi's BJP, which has failed to attain the majority.

JDU national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan has slammed the INDIA bloc over an alleged campaign against Nitish, who heads the party.

Ranjan said as quoted by The Times of India, "The false propaganda about Nitish Kumar is a result of their frustration. They should know that the unity of the NDA is as strong as a rock."

"On one side were those eager to maintain their family dominance, and on the other were leaders like Namo-Nitish who care about the nation's interests.

"Even though our seats have slightly decreased, by defeating the dynastic parties for the third consecutive time, the people have shown that the days of dynastic rule are over. The public stands with democracy and development," he added.

Modi 3.0 with a weaker mandate and strings

Narendra Modi on Tuesday returned for a rare third consecutive term in office with his allies, but fell short of an absolute majority for his BJP, in an election that gave a new lease of life to a Congress-led disparate Opposition bloc- INDIA-  as the anti-Modi union halted the saffron juggernaut to under 300.

Modi, who is set to be the second Prime Minister after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to return to office for third consecutive term, had kickstarted the campaign for his BJP setting the target for 370 seats and 400 for the NDA alliance.

Quite contrary to the "Abki bar 400 par" or "400 plus seats this time" slogan, Modi's BJP failed to achieve the majority mark (272) on its own, paving way for a return of a coalition government trend after a decade.

In what would trigger the debate of anti-incumbency setting in, Modi's BJP could manage to get to 240 while NDA touched 292, a comfortable figure to run the government but at the mercy of regional parties like TDP, JDU.

As a slew of exit polls that gave a clear majority to Modi proved wrong, even in the win of the NDA, the celebrations are louder in the  INDIA Bloc after they bagged a higher than expected number of seats. The INDIA bloc has won 234 seats, offering a tough fight to the incumbent.

Though several political pundits, opinion and exit polls had almost written off the Opposition, Congress (99 seats) led INDIA comprising several key regional players in offering a close contest to the incumbent.

After BJP stopped at 240 odd seats, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar emerged as the key players in forming the next government, which is expected to be headed by Modi again considering his number.