LIVE | ‘Will stay together’: Nitish after taking oath as Bihar CM in NDA fold
Nitish says “things were not working well” for him in the Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, returns to NDA, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago
JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday (January 28) took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after he and his party left the Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state and the Opposition INDIA alliance at the national level and joined the BJP-led NDA alliance yet again.
He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.
Along with Kumar, BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary took oath as ministers in the Kumar-led government.
Earlier in the day, Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying “things were not working well” for him in the Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, and staked claim to form a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.
The swearing-in ceremony started at 5 pm.
Talking to reporters in Patna after submitting his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Kumar said: “I have submitted my resignation to the Governor. The government that was in place now comes to an end. I have let it go.”
At the state BJP headquarters, the party’s in-charge Vinod Tawde said: “…A proposal was moved to support the JD(U) and form an NDA government, which was unanimously accepted by all MLAs.”
Tawde also said that state BJP president Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha have been named as leader and deputy leader, respectively of the legislature party.
The 72-year-old Kumar indicated that he was not feeling happy with the way things were in the Mahagathbandhan in the state as well as the INDIA bloc that he helped take shape but which failed to adequately recognise his efforts.
“You all know how I came to this alliance and also how I worked to bring together so many parties. But of late things were not working well. It was not going down well with those in my party as well,” said Kumar.
He also made an indirect reference to the deafening silence he had maintained over the political turmoil that had engulfed the state for the past few days.
Kumar resigned after a meeting of the JD(U) legislature party, which authorised him to take any decision about the alliance.
The swearing-in was held in the presence of BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, who arrived in Patna in the afternoon.
Kumar had joined the Mahagathbandhan in August 2022, when he had snapped ties with the BJP accusing it of trying to “split” his JD(U). He formed a new government with a multi-party coalition that included RJD, Congress and three Left parties.
(With agency inputs)
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Live Updates
- 28 Jan 2024 10:37 AM IST
JD(U) leaders authorise Nitish Kumar to take any decision on alliance, at the meeting of party leaders and MLAs
#WATCH | Heavy security deployed outside the Bihar Raj Bhavan in Patna.
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2024
A meeting of JD(U) is underway at CM Nitish Kumar's residence. Meanwhile BJP legislative party meeting is underway at the state party office. pic.twitter.com/gW52yPClwp - 28 Jan 2024 10:14 AM IST
'Thank you Tejashwi': RJD puts out ads in Bihar newspapers
Faced with the possibility of imminent loss of power in Bihar, the RJD on Sunday put out full-page advertisements in newspapers to "thank" its young leader Tejashwi Yadav for his contributions as the deputy chief minister.
"Dhanyawad (thank you) Tejashwi," say the advertisements put out in Hindi, from "state unit of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mahagathbandhan Parivar", in an obvious bid to boost the image of the 34-year-old leader, whose father Lalu Prasad heads the party.
The RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in the 2020 assembly polls, ended up in the opposition since the Mahagathbandhan, which includes Congress and three Left parties, fell short of a majority.
It tasted power in August 2022, following a realignment with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, who had dumped the BJP-led NDA, which he is likely to join again.
In the last few days of political turmoil, the party has been pleading with Kumar to "clear the confusion" while claiming that it will make "no attempts to pull down the government".
(With inputs from agencies)
- 28 Jan 2024 10:13 AM IST
Bihar CM to address JD(U) MLAs, may resign after that
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to resign after chairing a meeting of JD(U) MLAs at his official residence on Sunday, party sources said.
Kumar is expected to address the meeting after 10.30 am, they said.
Following the meeting, he is likely to visit the Raj Bhavan and submit his resignation letter to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. He will then stake claim to form a new government with the BJP's support, they added.
(With inputs from agencies)
