Nitish Kumar Oath
In Bihar, the political drama has once again taken a surprising turn. Nitish Kumar did exactly what had been anticipated in the past few days. On Sunday morning, he tendered his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar. He informed the Governor that he has decided to part ways with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). Later in the evening, for the ninth time, he took the oath as the Chief Minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
What’s next for Bihar?
A coalition has been formed between Janata Dal (United) [JDU] and the BJP. Nitish Kumar has submitted a letter of support from the BJP to the Governor, who has accepted it. It is now clear that Nitish Kumar will once again form the government in Bihar with the support of the BJP. In the 243-member Legislative Assembly, BJP has 78 seats, JDU has 45, and we have 4. Combining the three parties, they reach a total of 127, which is comfortably above the majority mark of 122.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the statements from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), especially those from Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi, as they reflect on the past when Nitish severed ties with the RJD.
Leaving the Chief Minister’s post for the eighth time, taking the oath for the ninth time
Let’s take a look at how Nitish Kumar has left the Chief Minister’s post for the eighth time…
– Nitish Kumar first became the Chief Minister on March 3, 2000. However, due to not securing a majority, he had to resign on March 10, 2000.
– After winning the 2005 elections with BJP’s support, Nitish became the Chief Minister for the second time.
– After the 2010 assembly elections, Nitish once again became the Chief Minister.
– Due to poor performance against BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, he resigned from the CM post. During this time, he appointed Jitan Ram Manjhi as the Chief Minister. However, in 2015, when internal conflicts arose in the party, Nitish removed Manjhi and reclaimed the CM post.
– After winning against the NDA in the 2015 assembly elections, Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister of Bihar once again. This was his fifth term as the CM.
– After allegations of corruption against Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar decided to break away from the Mahagathbandhan in July 2017. He resigned from the post and took over as the Chief Minister with the support of the NDA.
– In the 2020 assembly elections, the NDA alliance won. Despite the reduction in seats for JDU compared to BJP, Nitish Kumar took the oath as the Chief Minister.
In 2022, right after announcing his separation from the NDA, Nitish Kumar declared joining the Mahagathbandhan led by RJD. Along with this, Nitish Kumar took the oath as the Chief Minister for the eighth time. On January 28, 2024, he stepped down from the position.
Third time with BJP
– In 1996, Nitish formed an alliance with BJP for the first time. He became the CM on March 3, 2000, but due to not securing a majority, he resigned and became the Railway Minister in Atal Ji’s government.
– Nitish remained with BJP from 1996 to 2013. When Narendra Modi was made the Prime Ministerial candidate by BJP, Nitish parted ways with NDA. He remained the CM in the Mahagathbandhan government in 2015.
– He returned to NDA in 2017 and formed the government with BJP’s support.
– In 2024, he will become the Chief Minister for the third time with BJP’s support. In 28 years, this will be his third stint with the BJP.