Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday, marking a significant break from the grand alliance formed less than 18 months ago with the support of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal.
After a meeting with Janata Dal (United) MLAs at his residence, Nitish Kumar met with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan around 10:15 am to submit his resignation. This move suggests Nitish Kumar’s intention to form a new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This marks the fourth time Nitish Kumar has changed political alliances. Speaking to the media outside the Raj Bhavan, he stated, “Today, I have resigned from the post of chief minister and I have also asked the governor to dissolve the government in the state…”
The governor has accepted Nitish Kumar’s resignation and requested him to continue as the caretaker chief minister until a new government is formed. Nitish Kumar was accompanied by senior minister Bijendra Yadav of the JDU during his visit to the Raj Bhavan.
The Raj Bhavan shared the news on social media, stating, “Honorable governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Honorable chief minister Shri Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting chief minister until alternative arrangements are made.”
In terms of parliamentary representation, the BJP holds the largest number of 17 MPs in Bihar, with a total of 40 Lok Sabha members. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has 16, and the LJP, now divided between Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six.
Within the Bihar assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs, followed by the BJP with 78, the JD(U) with 45, the Congress with 19, the CPI (M-L) with 12, and two each for the CPI(M) and CPI. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) holds four seats, and AIMIM and one Independent legislator each contribute to the overall assembly composition
