Patna:
When announced that he was ending his alliance with the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "We cannot compromise with our principles. Whatever the consequences are, we will deal with them."
He attributed his decision to the placing its election campaign in the charge of Narendra Modi, who he describes as a divisive leader.
Tomorrow, Mr Kumar will face a trust vote in the state legislature. His party, the Janata Dal United or JD(U), has 118 legislators. To win the vote, it needs 122 votes. Four of Bihar's six independent legislators have reportedly committed their support to the JDU.
The BJP in Bihar, smarting from being dumped, is expected to formally announce on Wednesday morning that it will vote against Mr Kumar. There are 91 BJP state legislators.
Former chief minister Lalu Yadav has confirmed that the 22 legislators from his party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD, will vote against the chief minister.
The CPI, which has one legislator, has said it will abstain.
The JD(U) is keen to see whether the Congress's four legislators will abstain, helping the chief minister, or vote against him.
Senior Congress leaders have been making overtures to Mr Kumar; the trust vote will indicate if their intentions are honourable. On Monday, the Prime Minister praised him as "a secular leader." (
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When asked if a new alliance is in the making, the PM responded, In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies. We decide as the situation evolves."