BJP and HAM(S) of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi will be partners in the NDA government in Bihar, top sources said.Nitish will meet his party MLAs early morning followed by a joint meeting of the NDA legislators and MPs, likely to be held at his residence, before either submitting his resignation or dismissing the RJD ministers and submitting a fresh letter of support from BJP and HAM(S) to the governor.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to join NDA alliance again?
“The governor might invite him for the oath ceremony in the evening itself. Let us see how things unfold in the morning,” a source close to the developments said.
BJP MLAs and MPs went on a huddle on Saturday, and they are to meet again Sunday morning before gathering at the CM’s residence, similar to what transpired in 2017.
If Nitish Kumar resigns and joins hands with the BJP-led NDA, it will be his second political volte-face in less than 18 months and the fourth in less than 11 years.
Nitish Kumar set to dump RJD, may take oath as Bihar chief minister again with BJP’s support
JD(U) has 45 members in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. The support of BJP and the HAM(S) will take the total tally of the NDA to 127, which is five more than the half mark at 122, required to prove majority in the House.
Besides, the JD(U) also has the support of one independent legislator Sumit Kumar Singh, who is already a cabinet minister in the current Nitish-led government. Sumit’s support will take the total NDA tally to 128.
As per the agreement reached between the JD(U) and the BJP, Nitish will continue to hold the post of the CM, while the BJP will have two deputy chief ministers just like the previous NDA government formed after the 2020 assembly polls. The name of former deputy CM Renu Devi, who hails from the numerically strong extremely backward classes (EBCs) is almost final. The names of two former deputy CMs, Sushil Kumar Modi and Tar Kishore Prasad, are being considered for the second post of the deputy CM, a senior BJP leader told TOI.
The name of Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, who hails from the Yadav community to which RJD boss Lalu Prasad belongs, may also be considered for the second post of the deputy CM (from BJP quota) to pull Yadav electors from the RJD fold, another BJP senior reveals.
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Speaker’s post may go to BJP; Manjhi wants 2 cabinet berths
The Speaker’s post will go to the BJP while the cabinet berths and department will be distributed on the pattern of the 2020 NDA government, sources in the BJP said. As the HAM(S) patron and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has demanded two cabinet berths in the new government, the NDA leadership is yet to give its reaction over Manjhi’s latest demand.
After the BJP’s meeting of legislators over breakfast, the legislators will go to the CM residence at around 11 am and participate in the meeting of the NDA legislators party meeting, a senior BJP leader told this newspaper.
The JD(U) has convened the meeting of its legislators at 10 am at the CM residence. After the meeting, the JD(U) legislators too would join the NDA legislators meeting, which will begin at 11 am at the same venue.
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Soon after the NDA legislators’ party meeting, Nitish – accompanied by some senior leaders of the BJP, JD(U) and HAM(S)- would march to the Raj Bhawan where he would tender his resignation to the governor. At the same time, he would submit a letter of support of 128 MLAs to the governor and stake claim to form the new government, sources in the JD(U) said.
It was a double whammy for RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday when his party was on the verge of being deprived of power in Bihar and a Delhi court summoning his wife and former CM Rabri Devi and their daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav on February 9, while taking cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against them in the land-for-jobs scam in railways. Lalu’s son and deputy CM in the GA government, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, is also an accused in the case.
The JD(U) line of attack on RJD and Lalu was made clear when its spokesperson Neeraj Kumar categorically said, “RJD leadership is restless as they have the habit of giving jobs in lieu of land. But they could not manage things this time in either the appointments or posting of around 2.15 lakh teachers in the state.”
“Nitish Kumar has lost his credibility”: Cong leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on political turmoil in Bihar
Though the political scene in Bihar has been clear since Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya’s posts on X after the 100th birth anniversary address by CM Nitish Kumar on January 24 while obliquely attacking Lalu in the name of “dynastic politics”, the latter asked his party legislators to let JD(U) take the first step of formally dissolving the present government. But Neeraj made it clear when he told TOI, “Hamare hath mein tir hai aur tir Prabhu Ram ke hath mein hai. Accha hai unke (Ram) hawale kar dijiye (we have an arrow which is in the hands of Lord Ram. Let us hand it over to Him.”
RJD is to play an emotional victim card in the coming parliamentary and state assembly elections in Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats. Tejashwi told his party legislators and leaders that he never objected to Nitish whenever the latter openly criticised the pre-2005 state governments led by Lalu and Rabri Devi as he respected Nitish and continued to do so. Tejashwi reportedly asked the party leaders to take the issues and reasons behind the GA government’s fall to the people as RJD always followed the alliance dharma.
Amid the apprehensions about horse trading, HAM(S) national president Santosh Kumar Suman said his party would be part of the NDA government in Bihar. Sources said a few JD(U) MLAs are vulnerable to poaching and Nitish is keeping a close watch on them. Sources also said in any such circumstances, 13 of the 19 Congress MLAs may form a separate group and join the government. However, AICC media panellist Prem Chandra Mishra denied such speculations and told TOI that his party legislators were intact and united.
The political developments are not only leading to the fall of the GA government in Bihar but also pouring cold waters on the bid for a united opposition against PM Narendra Modi-led NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with JD(U) blaming Congress for precipitated things to such a pass.
KC Tyagi, senior JD(U) leader and political advisor to Nitish, said, “Congress’s irresponsible and obstinate behaviour has shattered the INDIA bloc, which is on the verge of disintegration.”
JD(U) insiders believe that Congress’s failure to name Nitish as the INDIA bloc’s convener despite his all-out efforts to unite the opposition parties and RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s tacit support to the demand for making Mallikarjun Kharge the chairperson pissed off Nitish.
However, Congress chief Kharge said on Saturday he had “no information on JD(U) leaving the alliance”. He expressed concern over “lack of clarity on JD(U)’s intentions”.
The Congress chief told reporters at Kalaburagi, “I have spoken to Mamata Banerjee, Lalu Prasad, and Sitaram Yechury. If we unite, we will give a good fight, and the INDIA alliance will be a success.”
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh admitted that Kharge “honestly tried several times to contact Nitish”.
