Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has resigned and dissolved the mahagatbandhan backed state government. Kumar will be swearing-in as CM again with the support of the BJP-led NDA alliance. The formation of a new government is expected by the evening.
Kumar had ditched the BJP to form the current Mahagatbandhan Bihar government with RJD and Congress support less than 18 months ago. His party was previously in alliance with the parties till 2017.
During his meeting with governor, Kumar informed him that they have decided to sever ties with the mahagathbandhan in the state, PTI reported.
RJD, with 79 MLAs, is the single largest party in the 243-member Bihar assembly. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has 45 MLAs and BJP has 78. Swearing-in of the new government is expected to happen around 4pm today.
Nitish Kumar’s exit is a huge blow to the INDIA alliance. Apparently, Kumar was one of the pioneers of the alliance. Earlier, JD(U) spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said the Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar is on the verge of collapse. "The alliance of INDIA bloc parties is almost over in Punjab, West Bengal and Bihar," he told reporters.