Nitish ditches alliance, to form govt with BJP help
new delhi — In dramatic developments in the Indian state of Bihar, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday resigned as chief minister dumping the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress to stitch a new alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre, which quickly announced support to a new government under him and said it will join it too.
Nitish Kumar, whose resignation was immediately accepted by Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, is expected to stake claim to form the new government on Thursday in which Sushil Kumar Modi is likely to return as deputy chief minister.
Ending a 20-monthlong coalition of the Grand Alliance that defeated the BJP in 2015, Nitish Kumar met the governor in the evening and handed his resignation claiming he can’t work in the “current circumstances” following corruption charges against Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. —