The NDA’s only major ally Janata Dal (United) and its supremo Nitish Kumar broke off with the BJP once again to form an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD.
Nitish took over as the CM today and was administered the oath of secrecy by the Governor.
The move paves the way for ‘Mahagathbandhan 2.0’ and the possibility of Nitish emerging as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Five years after he resigned as Chief Minister and walked out of the Mahagathbandhan when RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav refused to step down in the wake of an alleged corruption case, JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar returned to the Mahagathbandhan and Tejashwi.
Nitish ended his alliance with the BJP, and resigned as the coalition Chief Minister, only to stake claim again hours later with Tejashwi as his deputy.
He has formed a new government with the support of the RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI (M-L) and HAM (S) and an Independent — they together make a team of 164. MLAs in a House of 243.
