What will Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar do? What does N Chandrababu Naidu want? Will the smaller allies extract their pound of flesh from the third government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Will the revived Congress make its own power moves via Sharad Pawar?

The BJP falling far short of majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha has sparked a barrage of questions. And politics is happening thick and fast.

“I can’t tell you right now; a night is a long time in politics,” was Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera’s cryptic retort to a television news anchor who had asked him on Tuesday night if the Opposition INDIA bloc would make a bid for power.

Sharad Pawar, the veteran warhorse who has fought back after being denied his party name and symbol by a breakaway faction led by his nephew, seemed to contradict Khera’s ‘keep ‘em guessing’ move.

The NCP (SP) chief left for Delhi on Wednesday morning to attend a meeting of the INDIA bloc and was expected to reach Delhi around noon on Wednesday, PTI reported, quoting unnamed sources.

His party contested 10 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and won eight.

Pawar on Tuesday said the Opposition bloc was not likely to form a government at the Centre.

"We have not given it a thought," he said on Tuesday night when asked who would be the next prime minister, PTI reported.

"I am not sure if the INDIA alliance can form government. We will meet and take a decision unanimously on the future course of action," the 83-year-old former Union minister said.

Pawar had also said the strike rate of his party and that of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Lok Sabha elections was very good.

Uddhav Thackeray in favour of trying to form government

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, who will attend the same meeting as Pawar in Delhi, on Tuesday, however, said the Opposition alliance's leaders will meet on Wednesday in New Delhi to decide on the prime minister’s name.

He said leaders of the Congress and other parties were holding talks with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Naidu to explore the possibility of their entry into the bloc.

The RJD in Bihar was the first off the block on Tuesday to hint at the INDIA bloc trying to form a government, with the party’s leader Manoj Jha saying they would try to get Naidu and Nitish to join.

Naidu posted a congratulatory message on X on Tuesday that PM Modi reposted, and has given no indication that he would abandon the NDA. On Wednesday morning, he was quoted by television channels as saying he was “firmly with the NDA”.

NDA meets in Delhi for govt formation

Senior leaders of the BJP-led NDA are also likely to meet on Wednesday to take stock of the Lok Sabha poll results and deliberate on the details of government formation, PTI reported.

Both Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, will attend the meeting where top leaders of the BJP and its other allies are also expected to be present, the news agency reported quoting unnamed sources.

They are expected to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set for a record-equalling third term at the helm, and discuss with him the details of the new government, which is likely to be different in composition and character with a bigger share for the BJP's allies, per the PTI report.

While the NDA is comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the BJP has fallen short of the magic number for the first time since 2014 and is critically dependent on its allies for government formation.

TDP, JD(U), Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas) have won 16, 12, seven and five seats respectively and will play a crucial role in government formation.

On Wednesday morning, TV channels reported that Nitish and RJD leader would be on the same flight to Delhi. It added to the political gossip swirling around Nitish’s silence since the results.

Akhilesh credits PDA

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, whose party emerged as the largest party in Uttar Pradesh in a stunning fightback, on Wednesday said the success of the INDIA bloc in the state was the victory of the backward classes, Dalits and minorities.

He attributed the success to the PDA-unity plank strategy and efforts put in by the alliance. PDA stands for Pichada (backwards), Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorties).

"Dear intelligent voters of Uttar Pradesh, the victory of India bloc in the state is also the victory of the Dalit-Bahujan trust which, along with backward, minority, tribal, 'half population' (women) and all neglected, exploited, oppressed, backwards among the upper castes, has fought shoulder to shoulder to save the Constitution that gives the right to equality, respect, self-respect, dignified life and reservation," he said on X (formerly Twitter).