Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not in the race for the post of prime minister though he has all the qualities required to become one, his party, the Janata Dal (United), said on Sunday.
The party is an ally of the BJP at the Centre as well as in the state.
Asked about the matter, Kumar said called it "nonsense". "I neither want nor expect (this)."
"Nitish Kumar is not a candidate for the post of prime minister. The JD(U) is the most trusted member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the leader of the alliance. But he (Kumar) certainly is a PM material," JD(U) General Secretary and spokesperson K C Tyagi told reporters after the party's national council meeting here.
“We are in the NDA and firmly support the alliance. The party would welcome the setting up of an NDA coordination committee to resolve various issues. During the period of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, several works were done after setting up the coordination committee. "We will be happy if a similar coordination committee is formed again at the central and state levels for smooth functioning of the government and to put a stop to unwarranted comments made by leaders of alliance partners,” Tyagi said.
To a question, he said the JD(U) will contest the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur in 2022.
Also watch: Nitish Kumar meets PM Modi to discuss caste-based census
"Our priority will be to form an alliance with the BJP (for the polls). If that does not happen, we will contest independently," the senior JD(U) leader said.
The party had not contested the UP assembly elections in 2017.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh, newly appointed JD(U) national president, had said on August 7 that the party is capable of contesting elections alone.
On the JD(U)’s demand for caste-based census in the country, Tyagi said, “A delegation led by the CM recently briefed the PM on the caste-based census and urged him to take an appropriate decision. The PM listened to the delegation. The caste census should be done at least once. It will be easy for the government to identify the poor other than Dalits and help formulate schemes for their welfare".
The caste-based census has not taken place in the country since British rule.