Nitish Kumar is expected to join hands with the BJP. (File)
Nitish Kumar appears set for a second political volte-face in less than three years and is likely to return to an alliance with the BJP today. He has resigned as Bihar Chief Minister to start the process.
Here are 10 developments on the Bihar political crisis:
After days of uncertainty, Nitish Kumar and his party Janata Dal (United) today ditched the struggling Opposition alliance and is expected to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The 72-year-old met the Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar today and resigned as the Chief Minister.
This is his eighth resignation in a political career, that saw his rise a model of good governance before his repeated jumps across the political aisle hit is popularity and his party JDU's electoral weight.
Sources told NDTV instead of Nitish Kumar stepping down, BJP had also suggested reshuffling the Bihar cabinet by replacing RJD ministers with its own MLAs.
All BJP MLAs in Bihar have already given letters of support to Nitish Kumar, sources have said. The BJP and JD(U) have also finalised a seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha election due in three months.
The announcement has sent RJD and the Congress into a huddle, with both parties holding several meetings to discuss the plan of action after Mr Kumar's exit. JD(U) was among the top parties in Opposition's INDIA bloc which aims to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls.
In the Bihar Assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs; followed by the BJP's 78; the JD(U)'s 45' the Congress's 19, the CPI (M-L)'s 12, two each of the CPI(M) and CPI, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)'s four seats, and the AIMIM's one, plus one Independent legislator.
Leaders of the RJD met yesterday at the residence of national vice-president and former chief minister Rabri Devi, who shares her government bungalow with Tejashwi Yadav, her son, and husband Lalu Prasad, who is the party president.
According to sources, Tejashwi Yadav told party leaders that the game is yet to begin in Bihar.
"Whatever remained undone in two decades, we managed to get it done within a short time- be it jobs, caste census, increasing reservation, etc. 'Bihar mein abhi khel hona baki hain' (The game is yet to begin in Bihar)" Mr Yadav reportedly said.
