Nitish Kumar took oath as the new Chief Minister of Bihar on Sunday along with two BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha who swore-in as ministers in the new cabinet.
Nitish Kumar announced his resignation as Bihar CM on Sunday. This marks his second volte-face in less than 18 months. Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar accepted the formation of the NDA government in Bihar following Nitish Kumar's morning resignation.
After meeting the governor, he said, "I have resigned from the post of chief minister today. The new Grand Alliance that we created (in August 2022) is not in a good condition. The situation is not looking good."
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In a move away from the RJD, Nitish is set to establish a new government, aligning once again with the BJP. The party has selected Vijay Sinha and Samrat Choudhary as the two deputy Chief Ministers. The swearing-in ceremony for the new Bihar government is scheduled for 5 pm today, as stated by BJP national secretary Vinod Tawde.
What led to Nitish's decision to switch sides?
As per reports, Nitish Kumar's decision to switch sides is mainly due to a lack of coordination within the INDIA bloc, especially with the Congress in the crisis. Reports point to the primary reason being criticism of the Congress for delaying seat-sharing talks and not acknowledging Nitish Kumar as the leader of the opposition alliance.
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Despite playing a crucial role in the anti-BJP alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar's efforts were overshadowed in subsequent meetings, with the Congress taking a prominent role and sidelining him in the alliance.
Not The First Time
This is not the first time Nitish Kumar has switched sides. In 2013, he ended JDU's 17-year alliance with the BJP due to disagreements over Narendra Modi's candidacy.
If Kumar rejoins the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), it would be his second major shift in less than 18 months, having left the NDA in 2022 to form a government with the RJD and Congress. With the BJP holding the majority in Bihar's 243 constituencies, Kumar could ally with them to retain the CM position.
It is yet to be seen how the politics in Bihar and around Kumar turns as the Lok Sabha polls 2024 draw near.
Swearing-In Ceremony To Take Place Today
Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony for Nitish Kumar as new CM of Bihar with BJP's support have begun in Raj Bhavan in Patna.
BJP leader Rituraj Sinha told PTI, "BJP chief JP Nadda will arrive, and he will attend the oath-taking ceremony. We (BJP leaders) are also here (Patna) for the same. As per the information received, Chirag Paswan will come with the BJP chief, JP Nadda."
