Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar CM, to form govt with BJP

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday, signaling a significant political shift less than 18 months into the grand alliance government he formed with the support of Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The decision came following a meeting of Janata Dal (United) MLAs at Kumar's residence, after which he met with the governor at Raj Bhavan around 10:15 am. Nitish Kumar is expected to join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and stake a claim to form a new government.

In a statement on social media, Raj Bhavan (formally Twitter) confirmed, "Honorable governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Honorable chief minister Shri Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting chief minister until alternative arrangements are made." This move comes as the BJP, with 17 MPs, holds the largest number in the Bihar Lok Sabha, which has a total of 40 members.

The JD(U), led by Nitish Kumar, has 16 MPs, and the now-split LJP, led by Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six. In the Bihar assembly, the RJD has 79 MLAs, followed by BJP with 78, JD(U) with 45, Congress with 19, CPI (M-L) with 12, and smaller numbers for other parties. Nitish Kumar, addressing the media outside the Raj Bhavan, confirmed his resignation and urged the governor to dissolve the government in the state.

माननीय राज्यपाल श्री राजेंद्र विश्वनाथ आर्लेकर @rajendraarlekar ने माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री नीतीश कुमार का त्यागपत्र स्वीकार किया तथा वैकल्पिक व्यवस्था होने तक उन्हें कार्यवाहक मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में कार्य करने को कहा। pic.twitter.com/t5mo95pYKp

— Raj Bhavan, Bihar (@GovernorBihar) January 28, 2024