PremiumBihar political crisis Live Updates: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to break off the alliance with the BJP. Kumar meet Governor Phagu Chauhan today to tender his resignation as the Chief Minister of the state. Kumar decided to split with ally BJP for a second time in eight years and embrace support from the RJD led Mahagathbandhan to continue in office.
"I have resigned. We have broken the alliance with NDA. All JD(U) MPs and MLAs wanted to leave NDA," said Nitish Kumar after resigning as Bihar CM.
All MPs and MLAs are at a consensus that we should leave the NDA, JDU leader Nitish Kumar said after submitting his resignation to Bihar Governor today.
Nitish Kumar submits resignation after meeting Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan.
Union minister and RLJP President Pashupati Paras said, "Earlier also an experiment was done between RJD and JDU but they can't stay together for long. Again such an alliance is coming, it's not a good sign for Bihar's development."
"We have decided that our party will remain a part of NDA," he said.
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) is with the NDA. "We don't want to comment on the decisions of other parties but we are with NDA," Lok Sabha MP and RLJP leader Prince Raj has said.
He added, "We didn't feel that (BJP is not giving respect). They (JDU) can only tell about them."
The Congress has said that it will support any non-BJP government in Bihar to help strengthen secular forces amid hectic political activity in the state where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ended JD(U)'s alliance with the BJP.
Congress, which has 19 legislators in the Bihar Assembly, will go by what the RJD decides and its presence will help strengthen the coalition.
RJD is expected to extend support to Nitish Kumar. There will be no differences on allotment of portfolios. Tejashwi Yadav said that they have a strength of 160. If BJP attempts to create instability or tries to push for President's Rule, we'll give them a "befitting reply", RJD sources to ANI.
Upendra Kushwaha, the National Parliamentary Board President of JD(U) tweets, "Congratulations Nitish Kumar for the leadership of a new alliance in a new form..."
Bihar's assembly has an effective strength of 242. The majority mark is 121. The RJD has the highest number of 79 MLAs followed by the BJP (77) and the JD(U) with 44..
The JD(U) also enjoys the support of four MLAs of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha and an Independent.
The Congress has 19 MLAs while the CPIML(L) has 12 and CPI and CPI(M) have two each. So even if Nitish Kumar (JD (U)) and RJD come together, chances are he will be able to reatin his Chief Ministerial post with out BJP's support.
Relations between the BJP and the JD(U) have been worsening for quite some time in the wake of disagreements over a host of issues including caste census, population control and the ‘Agnipath’ defence recruitment scheme.
CPIML (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya had told PTI on Monday the crux of the row between JD(U) and BJP also stemmed from the recent statement by J P Nadda, president of the saffron party, who said regional parties “have no future".
Leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav is likely to visit the CM Nitish Kumar's residence to hand over the letter of support any time. RJD legislators will also meet Kumar in the evening.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought an appointment with Governor Phagu Chauhan at 4 pm on Tuesday amid a political crisis with the BJP.
According to the PTI news agency, Kumar is unlikely to resign from the chief minister-ship and may simply seek to replace BJP ministers with those of other parties, which may support his party in continuing the government.
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