Bihar: Nitish calls off alliance with BJP, to join hands with Lalu
- “Get ready for the coronation, those with the lantern are set to return," tweeted Rohini Yadav, Lalu Yadav's daughter, along with a video confirming the alliance between JD(U) and RJD.
Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, has dissolved his coalition with the BJP in Bihar and is scheduled to meet with the governor this evening alongside Tejashwi Yadav, according to media reports.
A total of 160 MLAs are expected to travel to meet the governor once Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the RJD’s opposition in the state assembly, arrives at Nitish Kumar’s house.
Nitish Kumar, who has been promised the support of opposition parties, sought time from Chauhan, who has given an appointment at 4 pm, Sources told PTI.
“Get ready for the coronation, those with the lantern are set to return,” tweeted Rohini Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s daughter, along with a video confirming the alliance between JD(U) and RJD.
Nitish Kumar left the grand alliance coalition in 2017 to form an alliance with the BJP.
The assembly in Bihar has 243 members. The BJP has 77 legislators, while the JD(U) has 45, making up the total number of MLAs. With 127 MLAs, the RJD is the largest party overall.
In the Mahagathbandhan meeting today, RJD MLAs, MLCs, and Rajya Sabha MP authorised party leader Tejashwi Yadav to take a decision and said that they are with him. Congress and Left parties MLAs have already said that they are with Tejashwi Yadav, sources told ANI.
Since Monday, Bihar has been on the scene of talks as a result of senior politician RCP Singh’s weekend departure from the JD (U). Following this, the JD (U) declared it would no longer be represented in the union council of ministers.
The CM is understood to have told party legislators and MPs, at a meeting he convened at his official residence, that he had been driven against the wall by the BJP which tried to weaken his JD(U), first by propping up Chirag Paswan’s rebellion and later through the party’s former national president RCP Singh.
Singh was made a cabinet minister at the Centre without Kumar’s explicit agreement. Consequently, when his term as a Rajya Sabha member ended, the JD(U) refused to give him another term as an MP, thus ending his stint as cabinet minister as well.
Following this, rumours of a split in the JD(U) engineered by Singh’s supporters surfaced.
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 .
The BJP, meanwhile, has gone into a huddle at the residence of Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad, where all ministers belonging to the party besides state president Sanjay Jaiswal and other senior leaders are also present.
BJP sources said they will wait till Nitish Kumar makes the first move.
In the state assembly, which has an effective strength of 242, requiring 121 MLAs for a majority, 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.
Besides, one MLA belongs to Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
With inputs from PTI.
