Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar chief minister
Nitish Kumar has resigned as Bihar's chief minister, bringing an end to his 18-month ruling coalition with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. He arrived at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday morning and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar. "We have decided to sever ties with the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in the state," Kumar told the governor.
Governor accepts Kumar's resignation
Kumar previously severed ties with NDA in 2022
Kumar is likely to be sworn in as the new CM with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s support on Sunday evening. India Today reported preparations for the swearing-in ceremony have begun at Raj Bhavan, Patna. Kumar last severed ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2022, when he resigned as the CM and joined the Mahagathbandhan after receiving backing from the latter.
Took decision after suggestions from party members: Kumar
Kumar said he made the decision following suggestions by his party members. "I was facing difficulties in working with this alliance (Mahagathbandhan). When I explained this to party members, they advised me to resign," he said. "The new Grand Alliance that we created (in August 2022) is not in a good condition. The situation is not looking good," he told reporters.
Kumar calls out INDIA for 'not doing anything'
Kumar also mentioned the opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and how things were not moving forward. Reportedly, Kumar has been unhappy with the bloc since he was snubbed by the Congress as the INDIA's prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He was also frustrated by the delay in the bloc's seat-sharing talks in Bihar and other states.
Signs of discord between JD(U), RJD started showing last week
Signs that all isn't well between the JD(U) and the RJD started showing with former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur being conferred with Bharat Ratna. On Tuesday, Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision, later taking a dig at "dynasty politics," possibly referring to the RJD leader Lalu Prasad's family. Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav were also seen ignoring each other on Republic Day.
Kumar might return to NDA again
Kumar is expected to rejoin the NDA now. Currently, the RJD, which is the single-largest party, has 79 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly, falling considerably short of the halfway mark of 122 seats. The Mahagathbandhan government comprised 159 MLAs. Following Kumar's defection now, it is still short eight MLAs to stake a claim to form Bihar's next government.
