In a surprising turn of events, Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has officially tendered his resignation following a crucial meeting with Janata Dal (United) MLAs at his residence on January 28. The political landscape of the state is now in a state of crisis as Kumar aligns himself once again with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This marks Nitish Kumar’s fifth turnaround since November 2005 during his tenure as Chief Minister. His decision to part ways with the Mahagathbandhan alliance, citing strained relations with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has set the stage for a significant political realignment. Subsequently, the State BJP unit elected Samrat Choudhary as the Legislative party leader, with Vijay Kumar Sinha as his deputy. The trio then proceeded to the Raj Bhavan to stake their claim in forming the new JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar.
Reacting to the development, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed that this move was anticipated. He revealed that he had received information from RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav about JD(U)’s intention to exit the Mahagathbandhan five days ago. Despite efforts to retain the alliance, the Nitish Kumar-led party has ultimately severed ties. Sources within JD(U) suggest that Kumar’s dissatisfaction stemmed from a lack of clarity within the INDIA bloc regarding preparedness for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.