Bihar goes the NDA way, Nitish resigns

Modi congratulates Nitish; swearing-in today

Curtains fell on the Grand Alliance on Wednesday with Nitish Kumar resigning as Bihar Chief Minister and dumping his allies — the RJD and the Congress. The “ghar wapsi” of the Bihar Chief Minister, a former NDA ally, was complete as the BJP immediately swung into action and announced its support.

Mr Kumar is scheduled to be sworn-in on Thursday, probably with some new Cabinet colleagues.

In Bihar Assembly, with 243 seats, the magic number is 122. While the JD(U) has 71 MLAs, the BJP has 53, taking their total to 124. Add to that NDA allies’ (the LJP, RLSP and HAM) five MLAs.

Mr Kumar’s “home coming” (he was part of the NDA till Narendra Modi became its PM candidate in 2014) is a major victory for the saffron brigade and a severe blow to the Opposition and its plan for a “united secular alliance” in 2019. That Mr Kumar’s

I tried to work it out... I did not ask for anybody’s resignation... I just asked Tejaswi to explain the charges of corruption. — Nitish Kumar

surprise move to step down was a part of a well thought out script became somewhat evident as the PM Narendra Modi reacted instantly after the CM stepped down. Mr Modi tweeted, “Congratulations! Mr Nitish Kumar for joining the fight against corruption. 1.25 crore people are welcoming and supporting his honesty. For the bright future of the country, and especially Bihar, it is the need of the hour to rise above political differences and join the fight against corruption."