The political crisis in Bihar thickened yesterday when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that he will be ending JD(U)’s alliance with the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and will be forming an alternate government with a shift in the cabinet.
Now, Nitish Kumar has decided to form an alliance with old foe RJD – led by party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav – to form an alternate government in the state, where he will remain the CM while Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav will be appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister.
JD-U’s Nitish Kumar will be taking the oath as the chief minister of Bihar today, August 10, at 2 pm, while Tejashwi Yadav will be taking the post of Deputy CM in the state. This comes just a day after the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) was announced by his party.
The Grand Alliance includes JD(U), RJD, and other Opposition parties, after Nitish Kumar ended his alliance with the BJP, barely two years after the two parties formed a government. Kumar and JD(U) members accused BJP of implementing the “Eknath Shinde plan” in their state.
Nitish Kumar ended the alliance with BJP soon after former MP RCP Singh was accused of staging a Maharashtra-like situation in Bihar, where it was alleged that BJP leader Amit Shah was trying to sideline the Bihar CM from the state government.
After speculations arose that the JD(U) chief was disgruntled with the actions of the top BJP administration, Nitish Kumar met with the Bihar governor and tendered his resignation, later announcing that he has decided to form an alliance with RJD and other opposition parties.
Kumar said he submitted a list of 164 MLAs to Governor Phagu Chauhan who will decide when the oath-taking can take place. The effective strength of the state Assembly is 242 and the magic figure is 122.
Notably, it will be the eighth time when Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar.
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(With inputs from agencies)
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