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.
Opposition parties today claimed the JD(U) breaking ranks with the BJP is an indication of the change in Indian politics, asserting that their vision to fight the saffron party and its "politics of intimidation" has gained momentum.
The Congress is likely to get four ministerial berths in the new government in Bihar as JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP and joined hands with the RJD-led alliance, sources told PTI.
Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi has dismissed JD(U)'s allegations that the BJP wanted to break the party and made RCP Singh Union minister without Nitish Kumar's consent.
The JD(U) today became the third major ally after the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal to snap ties with the BJP after 2019. Within 18 months of the BJP's second consecutive Lok Sabha election victory, the party had lost two of its oldest allies - Shiv Sena and Akali Dal.
The swearing-in ceremony of the Bihar Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister will be held tomorrow at 2 pm at Raj Bhavan, RJD has announced.
Nitish Kumar spoke with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and expressed gratitude for support, Congress sources told PTI.
JD(U)-RJD led 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar to take oath at 4 pm tomorrow
If one looks at Nitish Kumar's political career, the JD(U) leader is known for his "break-ups and patch-ups" politics. Here's a look at Kumar's political journey. For full report click here
On Nitish Kumar's exit from NDA, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad asked, “Nitish Kumar has left and said that BJP was trying to destroy his party...BJP made him a union minister several times. He was also made a CM. Why did he re-think his decision on alliance with RJD in 2015 and came to BJP in 2017?"
He further said that Kumar disrespected the mandate of Bihar's people. “It's baseless that BJP was trying to destroy JD(U)," Prasad said.
Nitish Kumar has again proven that he is a master of the art of changing governments. For some, it was a reversal of happenings in 2017, when he dumped the RJD-led 'Mahagathbandhan' to rejoin the NDA, while for others it was a reversal of happenings in Maharshtra where a Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government was overthrown to form a BJP-rebel Sena government. FULL REPORT
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday welcomed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to walkout of the BJP alliance, calling it a "good beginning".
Hours after resigning as Bihar's chief minister, Nitish Kumar asserted “all MPs and MLAs of the JD(U) are at a consensus that the party should leave the NDA." Read full report
The ruling DMK today said its president M K Stalin's vision to fight the BJP at the national level has gained momentum with Nitish Kumar's JD(U) pulling out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar.
At a joint presser with Tejashwi Yadav, Kumar said, “I came here to meet the Governor and gave my resignation. There are 7 parties including 164 MLAs along with Independents in Mahagathbandahan."
People voted for the very same alliance during the state polls that have been formed now. The previous govt (BJP-JDU govt) was not as per the mandate of the people, it's only now that the state govt will be as per the people's mandate: RJD MP Sharad Yadav
Nitish Kumar reaches Governor's house to stake claim as Chief Minister of 'Mahagathbandhan' alliance.
Trinamool Congress today welcomed Nitish Kumar quitting the BJP-led NDA and said no ally can safeguard its identity in the saffron camp as BJP with its "grab all politics" does not believe in the existence of regional parties.
Nitish Kumar has been elected as the leader of 'Mahagathbandhan' as prelude to staking claim to form new government in Bihar, JD(U) sources told PTI.
“We fought the 2020 polls together under NDA, the mandate was for JDU and BJP, we won more seats despite that, Nitish Kumar was made the CM. Whatever happened today is a betrayal of Bihar's people and the BJP," Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal has said.
A RJD source said, “Let us forget what happened in 2017 and begin a new chapter, said JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar to RJD's Tejashwi Yadav."
Accusing Nitish Kumar of insulting people's mandate for the second time, Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan has demanded the imposition of President's Rule in Bihar.
Paswan has called for fresh elections in the state. The LJP leader also said that the BJP did everything Nitish Kumar asked for as CM.
Let us take a look at where the parties stand in the Bihar Assembly currently.
- The RJD had finished as the single-largest party in the 2020 Assembly polls in Bihar. The RJD and its allies had won 110 seats in total.
- The RJD had emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats, while the Congress won 19 seats.
- Of the 29 seats, the Left parties had contested, they won in 16 seats, with the CPI (ML-Liberation) winning 12 of those.
- Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM had won five seats in the Seemanchal region of the state. Four of its MLAs have moved to the RJD.
- The NDA won 125 seats, with BJP winning 74 of these seats, the Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar 43, the Vikassheel Insaan Party 4 and Hindustan Awaam Party (Secular) 4.
- With this, the NDA stood above the required 122-majority mark needed to form a government.
- In the Bihar Assembly of 242 – down from the overall 243 after the death of an RJD MLA – this is how the parties rank – BJP (77), JD(U) (45), HAM(S) (4), RJD (79), Congress (19), CPI(M-L) (12), CPI (4), AIMIM (1), Independent (1).
"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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