BREAKING: Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar Chief Minister, massive blow to INDIA bloc

Nitish Kumar on Sunday resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar after meeting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan. The Janata Dal (United) veteran will now stake claim to form a new government with the BJP.

With Bihar Nitish Kumar’s return to the BJP-led NDA imminent, the Janata Dal (United) president has resigned as Mahagathbandhan Chief Minister on Sunday. He met Governor at Raj Bhavan and said, "We have decided to sever ties with the mahagathbandhan in the state."

Nitish Kumar breaking ties with the grand alliance has also come as big jolt to the unity of the Opposition's bloc INDIA which was formed to take on BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, due to be held in April-May this year. 

It's worth mentioning that Nitish Kumar was at the first place had taken the initiative to bring all the opposition parties together to take on the BJP in the forthcoming polls.

Kumar’s exit from Mahagathbandhan, which he had joined less than 18 months ago, would deal a body blow to the opposition bloc INDIA. He broke with the BJP in August 2022, accusing it of attempting to foment a rift in the JD(U). He then teamed up with the RJD, which was created by his formerly bitter opponent Lalu Prasad.

The longest-serving CM of Bihar, thereafter, embarked upon a drive to bring together all parties, across the country, to take on the BJP that culminated in the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA. Kumar has been in power for the last 20 years despite regularly switching allegiances between the BJP and the RJD-Congress-Left combo.