Bihar's tryst with Nitish Kumar resumes alongside two deputy CMs from BJP

In the first reaction to ally Nitish Kumar's exit from 'INDIA' alliance, and reconstitution of the Bihar government with BJP-led NDA, the outgoing deputy CM of the state Tejashwi Yadav accused Kumar of 'murdering' the hopes of the people by switching the sides.

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Reacting to the RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's statement that the "JDU will be finished in 2024", Nitish Kumar said: "We work for the development and progress of Bihar. We will keep doing the same, nothing else. Tejashwi was not doing anything. Now I am back where I was before (in NDA) and now there is no question of going anywhere."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to his official X account and wrote, "Congratulations to Nitish Kumar on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar and Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha on taking oath as Deputy Chief ‍Minister. My best wishes to this new team to start a new chapter of development and public welfare in Bihar."

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Nitish Kumar, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha on taking oath as CM, Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar "The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfil the aspirations of its people...," tweets PM Modi.

A total of eight leaders took oath as cabinet ministers in the new government led by Nitish Kumar.

Three from BJP – Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Prem Kumar. Three from JDU – Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Shrawon Kumar and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) President Santosh Kumar Suman and independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh took oath as ministers.

Deputy Leader of Bihar BJP legislative party, Vijay Sinha - who is likely to take oath as Deputy CM today - says, "The oath ceremony will take place at 5 pm. All the MLAs will be present there. I thank everyone."

Source: ANI

According to media reports, eight ministers will take oath with Nitish Kumar, and will have ministers from JD(U), BJP and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). 

This comes as several media reports citing officials have said Choudhary and Sinha will be named as deputy CMs while Kumar will be named as the chief minister. 

Deputy Leader of Bihar BJP legislative party, Vijay Sinha, who will possibly become the state's deputy chief minister later today said, "We are determined to re-establish good governance by giving a farewell to RJD."

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday that he knew that Nitish Kumar would quit the Grand Alliance in Bihar.

"Earlier, he and us were fighting together. When I talked to Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, they also said that Nitish is going. If he (Nitish) wanted to stay, he would have stayed but he wants to go. That's why we already knew this, but to keep the INDIA bloc intact, if we say something wrong, the wrong message will be sent," Kharge said.

Following his resignation from the CM's post, Nitish Kumar has now been appointed as the acting CM by the governor. 

Nitish Kumar has quit the ruling Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar and submitted his resignation as chief minister to Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday (Jan 28), the news agency ANI reported.

BJP's Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters on Sunday that the political development in Bihar was still unfurling. "Once it happens, we shall know exactly what is there. But having said that whatever good for Bihar is welcome, that is what we (BJP) think because we all have great faith in the leadership of honourable PM (Modi) and Bihar has to come along with it," he added.

All JD(U) leaders authorised CM and party president Nitish Kumar to take any decision, as their meeting got underway in Patna, the news agency ANI reported. 

A meeting of Bihar BJP MLAs and leaders of the party is underway at the party office in Patna amid the political crisis in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar is likely to step down from the CM's post today and leave Mahagathbandhan, the news agency PTI reported on Sunday citing a source. At 10 am, Kumar will address JD(U) legislators before going to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation" and formation of a new government, with the BJP's support, was "expected by the evening," the source added. 

Nitish Kumar has switched between political alliances during his tenure as Bihar's chief minister. He first became CM in 2000 at the behest of the then Vajpayee government at the centre, but stepped down from the post a few days later.

In 2005, the JD(U) won the assembly election with the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) support and Kumar became CM.

In the next election in 2010, Kumar again became CM with the NDA's support. 

However, in the 2015 assembly election, Kumar joined hands with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) with the Congress and the RJD to win the election. Kumar became CM and Tejwashi Yadav became his deputy.

Two years later in 2017, when corruption charges were levelled against Yadav, Kumar asked him to resign. Yadav's party the RJD refused to do so, and then Kumar stepped down, hence ending the Grand Alliance.

But just a few hours later, Kumar jumped ship to the NDA and came back to power.

In his sixth term as CM in 2020, Kumar won the assembly election with the NDA's support. But in Aug 2022, he parted ways with the NDA and rejoined the Mahagathbandhan, appointing Tejashwi Yadav as the deputy CM of Bihar.

Another U-turn from Kumar is expected yet again.
 

JD(U) MLAs will hold a meeting on Sunday as their leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought time for a separate meeting with the governor, the news agency ANI reported citing sources. 

JD(U) leader KC Tyagi on Saturday held the Congress party responsible for cracks in the INDIA bloc. According to a report by the news agency ANI, Tyagi said the INDIA bloc was not tattered and was headed towards its decline. 

It is not yet known what the JD(U) will do next: part ways with the INDIA and join the NDA or something else. 

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav convened an emergency meeting with RJD leaders in Patna on Saturday. During the meeting, Yadav said that CM Nitish Kumar was a respectable figure but many factors were not under his control. Yadav also hinted at many unexpected developments in the state. 

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has sought time to meet Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday as the political crisis in the state is intensifying.