Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar CM, set to rejoin NDA

Patna: Bihar seems set for a new political formation, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tendering his resignation on Sunday and is likely to return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which his party JD(U) had left in an acrimonious manner over 17 months back.

He is likely to take oath again as chief minister of the NDA government in the evening, JD(U) sources said.

After heading the Grand Alliance government since August 2022, Kumar went to the Rajbhawan and submitted his resignation to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

He is gearing up for another "U' turn during the day to join hands with the BJP-led alliance for forming an NDA government in the state.

Kumar had resigned as state Chief Minister on August 9, 2022 and quit the NDA to form the Grand Alliance government with RJD, Congress and the Left parties.

On Sunday, both JD(U) and BJP have convened meeting of their legislators and other senior leaders apparently to complete formalities for formation of a Nitish led NDA government in the state.

A meeting of BJP legislators has been convened at party state headquarters in Patna while Chief Minister Kumar has called JD(U) legislators at his official residence.

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) had convened a meeting of its legislators on Saturday. The meeting was chaired by former Chief Minister and patron of HAM Jeetan Ram Manjhi, in which a decision was taken to extend support to Kumar to form the NDA government. Manjhi said he was solidly in NDA and there was no question of any second thought.

After the meetings of JD(U) and BJP legislature parties, a meeting of the NDA legislature party would be held at 1 Anne Marg, the official residence of the CM. A source said in the NDA legislature meeting, Kumar would be elected its leader, enabling him to stake claim before the Governor to form the next government in the state.

Kumar, along with senior BJP leaders and HAM patron Manjhi, would meet the Governor to stake claim to form NDA government. Kumar is expected to take oath as CM for the ninth occasion occasion this evening.