Nitish Kumar & Tejashwi Yadav meets Bihar guv to form new alliance govt

|HT|

Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav met Bihar governor Phagu Chauhan on Tuesday and staked claim to form a new government of the Grand Alliance in the state. The two leaders, who till a day ago were officially on opposite sides of the political spectrum were seen marching together, all smiles, to the Raj Bhavan from RJD leader Rabri Devi's residence to stake claim to form the new government. RJD patriarch Lalu Yadav's other son Tej Pratap accompanied them.

Addressing a joint presser with Tejashwi after meeting the governor, Kumar said, “I came here to meet Governor and gave my resignation. There are seven parties, including 164 MLAs along with Independents in Mahagathbandahan.”

The RJD leader said that across the Hindi heartland, the BJP does not have any alliance partner. “History tells that the BJP destroys the parties with whom it forms an alliance. We did see that happening in Punjab and Maharashtra,” Yadav said.

Before this, Kumar was elected leader of 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) as a prelude to staking claim to form the new government in Bihar. According to reports, Kumar told Tejashwi at his residence to forget whatever happened in 2017 and begin a new chapter.

A while ago, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) supremo resigned as the chief minister of the NDA government and submitted to the governor a support letter of 160 MLAs. Speaking to reporters after putting in his papers, Kumar said the decision to leave the NDA was taking by the JD(U).

“All MPs and MLAs reached a consensus that we should leave the NDA. Soon after, I resigned as Bihar CM,” Kumar told reporters.

Hours ago, JD(U) parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha shared a congratulatory message for Kumar for "assuming leadership of a new coalition in a new form". "March ahead Nitish ji. The country is waiting for you," Kushwaha added in the tweet. Hours ago, JD(U) parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha shared a congratulatory message for Kumar for "assuming leadership of a new coalition in a new form". "March ahead Nitish ji. The country is waiting for you," Kushwaha added in the tweet.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)