Nitish Kumar set to be sworn in as Bihar CM for record eighth time

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar is all set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar on Wednesday (August 10) afternoon for a record eighth time.

Kumar will be administered the oath of office by Governor Phagu Chauhan at a simple ceremony inside the Raj Bhavan at 2 pm.

Tejashwi Yadav, whose RJD helms the Grand Alliance that elected Kumar as its leader on Tuesday, is also scheduled to be sworn in, with him returning as the deputy chief minister for the second time.

Earlier, it was understood that only Kumar and Yadav will be taking oath though sources in the multi-party Grand Alliance now hint at the possibility of three to five ministers being sworn in.

Besides JD(U) and RJD, the Congress is expected to be represented in the new cabinet. Sources say the Congress may get four cabinet portfolios.

Left parties CPI ML(L), CPI and CPI(M) have expressed their intention to support the new government from outside.

On Tuesday, Kumar had announced that his party is ending the alliance with BJP, before resigning and staking claim to form a new government, armed with the support of the Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance.

The 71-year-old JD(U) leader first took oath as chief minister in 2000, when he headed an NDA government that lasted only a week. He was back in 2005, this time with his coalition having won an absolute majority in the assembly polls.

The NDA won a landslide victory under his leadership in the assembly polls five years later. Kumar stepped down in 2014, owning moral responsibility for the drubbing of JD(U) in the Lok Sabha polls, but returned less than a year later when he was sworn in for the fourth time.

In 2015, Kumar was back as chief minister, with the Grand Alliance then comprising the JD(U), RJD and Congress winning a comfortable majority. He resigned in July 2017, citing irreconcilable differences with the RJD, and got sworn in again less than 24 hours later, when he formed a new government with the BJP.

Kumar was sworn in for the seventh time in November 2020, when the NDA retained power, though his own party saw a major fall in its tally for which it blamed a conspiracy by the BJP.

State BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal hit back, accusing Nitish of betraying the mandate of the 2020 Assembly polls for which Nitish Kumar will be punished by the people of Bihar.

On Tuesday, after the JD(U) meeting, Nitish drove to Raj Bhavan to tender his resignation, from where he returned to his residence.

Shortly afterwards, he drove to the residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi, just across the street, where all leaders of the Grand Alliance, comprising RJD, Congress and the Left, had gathered. Nitish, who was accompanied by JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, spent nearly half an hour at Rabri Devi’s residence. He returned along with Leader of the Opposition and his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav, who was armed with a letter of support to Nitish.

As per reports, Nitish claimed the support of 160 MLAs.

Also read: What led to dramatic exit of Nitish from NDA brood in Bihar?

Assembly make-up

The BJP had bagged 74 seats in the election even as its strength improved to 77 in the Assembly after three MLAs from Mueksh Sahni`s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) joined it. The RJD is presently the largest party in the state with 80 MLAs. The Bihar Assembly has a total strength of 243 MLAs and any party or alliance needs the support of 122 MLAs to form a  government. The Congress has 19 MLAs while the Left parties, also part of the Grand Alliance, have 16 MLAs.

So, if Nitish returns to the RJD-Congress-Left Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the bloc will have 160 MLAs (45 of JD(U), 80 of RJD, 19 of Congress and 16 of Left parties) against the majority mark of 122. Additionally, the RJD is also reaching out to the HAM, a BJP ally with four MLAs.

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Nitish had convened a JD(U) meeting on Tuesday morning following the exit of the party’s former national president RCP Singh. The latter quit after the JD(U) sent him a notice seeking explanation on the graft charges levelled against him. RCP was said to be getting close to the BJP, and this is said to have irked Nitish.

On Monday evening, Nitish was said to have spoken to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the phone, and sought an audience on August 11. This was not confirmed by either party.

Will back any non-BJP govt: Congress 

The Congress on Tuesday said it would support any non-BJP government in Bihar to help strengthen secular forces.

Sources said the Congress, which has 19 legislators in the Bihar Assembly, will go by what the RJD decides and its presence will help strengthen the coalition. They added that like in Maharashtra, where the Congress helped stitch together the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government by supporting the Shiv Sena which was ideologically different from it, it could align with Kumar who has remained with them in the past.

“Ours is an ideological battle and we are not fighting for power. The Congress will support any non-BJP government and help strengthen secular forces,” Congress general secretary Tariq Anwar said.

BJP to take stock

The Bihar BJP core group will meet later in the evening to take stock of the evolving political situation in the state.

Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal is expected to chair the meeting which is likely to be attended by both deputy chief ministers, former state party presidents and other senior leaders.

Former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Choubey, and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have left for Patna from the national capital to attend the meeting.

Signs of big change, says Left

Opposition parties on Tuesday said the JD(U) breaking ranks with the BJP is a “strong indictment” of the saffron party’s “politics of intimidation” and shows a change in Indian politics.

“#NitishKumar breaking alliance with BJP is a strong indictment of the politics of intimidation practised by BJP. “BJPs authoritarianism leaves no scope for cooperation. After Akalis & Shiv Sena, JD(U) is the latest example. Cracks are visible in the relationship of BJP & AIADMK too,” Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja said in a tweet.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam said the events in Bihar indicate that a change is underway. “Bihar conveys the message of far-reaching change in Indian politics. Its final outcome depends up on the level of insight expected from the important players. The Left will definitely play the responsible role in its consistant fight against RSS-BJP (sic),” said Viswam in a tweet.

TMC welcomes Nitish’s move

Trinamool Congress on Tuesday 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.

“No political party in NDA is safe with an alliance partner like the BJP. The BJP does not believe in smaller or regional parties’ existence. Its policy ensures the wiping out of regional parties even if they are their allies. Such a development was waiting to happen,” TMC chief national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said.
TMC, he said, is keeping a close watch on the political situation in the neighbouring state.

“We don’t have any political or organisational presence in Bihar. But if BJP is defeated in Bihar then the people of West Bengal will indeed be very happy,” he said.