‘I have left INDIA bloc… things were not working out’: Nitish Kumar after resigning as Bihar CM

Nitish Kumar Resigns News: Snapping ties with the RJD and Congress, Nitish Kumar will now be forming a government with BJP’s support, the oath-taking of which will happen at 4 pm.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: January 29, 2024 08:18 AM IST

3 min read

Nitish Kumar Resigns: The Bihar political crisis for RJD and Congress deepened with Nitish Kumar's resignation

Bihar Politics News: JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar will be taking oath as the CM again, this time with the support of BJP. (File Photo)

Bihar Political Crisis: After days of speculation, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar on Sunday, his second volte face in less than 18 months. Snapping ties with the RJD and Congress, Nitish will now be forming a government with BJP’s support, the oath-taking of which will happen at 4 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called Nitish Kumar to congratulate him over the move. This comes as a big jolt to the Opposition INDIA bloc, which has been lurching from one crisis to another.

“I have resigned as the CM today and have asked the Governor to put an end to this government. Party leaders were giving me advice. I heard what they said and have resigned. The situation was not good. So, we have broken ties,” Nitish Kumar told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan.

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He added: “I was doing a lot of work. I was trying to form an alliance, but nothing was being done on it. Hence, I decided on it.”

The Congress has admitted that party president Mallikarjun Kharge had tried to contact Nitish twice or thrice but the two were unable to connect. Amid reports that a section of the Congress MLAs in Bihar could not be contacted, the party decided to rush former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel to Patna as a special observer.

Despite turbulence in state politics, Nitish, whether with the Mahagathbandhan or the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has managed to retain the CM’s chair and ensured that his party has not split over his repeated flip-flops. His bargaining power has not diminished over the years even though the JD(U)’s electoral footprint has shrunk (it is currently the third-largest party in the Bihar Assembly behind RJD and BJP). Even when he has left the BJP, he has been able to ensure that his party does not get split, unlike the Shiv Sena.

The RJD (79), Congress (19), and three Left parties together (16) have 114 MLAs, eight short of a majority in House of 243. The JD(U)’s 45 MLAs and the BJP’s 78, along with the support of one Independent legislator, together make up 124 MLAs.

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