After ditching Grand Alliance, Nitish to form government in Bihar with BJP's support

PATNA: In dramatic developments in Bihar, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday resigned as Chief Minister dumping the RJD and Congress to stitch a new alliance with BJP, 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, will take oath as Chief Minister with BJP's support on Thursday in which Sushil Kumar Modi is likely to return as Deputy Chief Minister. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend Nitish's oath taking ceremony. Soon after Nitish's resignation, the BJP Parliamentary Board quickly met in Delhi and appointed a three-member committee of Bihar leaders to study the situation. Then Sushil Modi announced that the BJP would support Nitish Kumar to form a new government in which it would be the junior partner. "We will support the government under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. The BJP legislature party has full confidence in Nitish Kumar as its leader. The decision has also been conveyed to Nitish Kumar which he has accepted," Sushil Modi said. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Kumar for "joining the fight against corruption" saying the entire nation supports his honesty, a move seen as an effort to reach out to the BJP's former ally. JD(U) had ended its 17-year association with BJP after Modi was nominated the saffron party's campaign committee chief for 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "Congratulations! Mr Nitish Kumar for joining the fight against corruption." "1.25 crore people are welcoming and supporting his honesty," he said in a series of tweets. "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," Modi said. Nitish resigned today, citing irreconcilable differences with ally RJD over corruption charges against his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, snapping an uneasy coalition cobbled together in the aftermath of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll debacle. Kumar's resignation capped days of stand-off between his party JD(U), which was insisting on Tejashwi defending himself against the allegations, and the RJD, whose chief Lalu Prasad rejected the demand outright. "In the circumstances that prevail in Bihar, it became difficult to run the grand alliance government," Kumar told reporters outside Raj Bhavan after submitting his resignation to Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi. Kumar, when asked about the chances of his forming a government with BJP's support, said,"Whatever will be in the interest of Bihar will be done. Wait for the future to unfold. Whatever had to happen has happened. Now see what happens next." Kumar said his resignation was accepted by the governor who asked him to continue as CM till an alternative arrangement has been made. "I tried to work it out....I did not ask for anybody's resignation...I just asked Tejashwi to explain the charges of corruption," he said. The sudden development has thrown the politics of Bihar into turmoil with no party having a majority in the 243-member Assembly. Kumar's JD(U) has 71 seats, while RJD headed by Tejashwi Yadav's father Lalu Prasad, has 80. The BJP has 53. If JD(U) and BJP come together, the coalition would have a majority in the Assembly. State BJP president Nityanand Rai had recently spoken about the possibility of his party extending outside support to JD(U) but clarified the decision would be taken by its central leadership. Tensions simmered between the two alliance partners ever since the CBI registered a case against Lalu Prasad, his wife and former chief minister Rabri devi and son Tejashwi in a land-for-hotels case. The offence was allegedly committed when Lalu was the railway minister in the UPA government. He was allegedly instrumental in handing over the maintenance of two hotels of Indian Railways-owned PSU ICRTC to two Patna businessmen in return for a prime plot of land in the Bihar capital where his family is now constructing a shopping mall.