Nitish Kumar Resigns as Bihar Chief Minister Amid Political Speculation

Patna: In a significant political development, Nitish Kumar has officially stepped down from his role as the Chief Minister of Bihar. The resignation follows days of speculation regarding Kumar's potential realignment with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing the media after meeting the governor, Kumar stated, "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."

Mr. Kumar's swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place today, with reports indicating that he will have two Deputy Chief Ministers from the BJP, namely Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Sinha.

Having submitted his resignation at 11 am today, Nitish Kumar has withdrawn from the 28-party Opposition bloc INDIA, signaling his intent to form a coalition with the BJP. There are indications that Kumar may remove ministers affiliated with the alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Yadav.

In parallel, the BJP and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) have solidified a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, scheduled in three months. Notably, all BJP MLAs in Bihar have already pledged their support to Nitish Kumar.

To strategize over the evolving political scenario in Bihar, BJP MLAs and MPs convened at 10 am at the party office in Patna. BJP President JP Nadda, accompanied by key party leaders, is set to arrive in Patna via a special charter flight at 3 pm today, emphasizing the significance of the unfolding political developments in the state.