New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will take oath on Thursday as the head of the government that would include BJP and its allies.
After meeting governor Keshari Nath Tripathi late on Wednesday, Kumar, accompanied by senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi drove to Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form the government.
Modi, who will be sworn-in as the deputy CM of Bihar, told journalists that a list of 132 MLAs supporting the alliance was submitted to the governor who has invited Kumar to form the government. These include 71 of JD(U), BJP 53, RLSP 2, LJP 2, HAM 1 and three Independents.
It would be Kumar's 6th term as chief minister. The JD(U)-BJP combine will now return to power after four years in the politically volatile state. Prodded by Kumar, the JD(U) had walked out of the NDA in July 2013 after Narendra Modi was nominated as head of the BJP's campaign committee for the 2014 LokSabha polls.
However, in no mood to give up without a fight, Tejashwi Yadav along with other RJD leaders marched to Raj Bhavan late Wednesday night to mark their protest against the governor's decision of inviting Nitish to form the government. "RJD being the single largest party in the state should be given an opportunity to stake claim to form the government," Tejashwi said.
The JD(U), BJP, their allies and supporting independent MLAs together account for 132 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, 10 more than the magic figure of 122.
RJD has 81 MLAs and even if Congress with 27 MLAs and CPI-ML (03) decide to back Tejashwi, their number would add up to only 110.
Reacting sharply to the governor inviting Nitish for the swearing-in, Tejashwi said "RJD should be given the opportunity to prove its majority on the floor."
"Governor gave us time of 11AM and now suddenly has asked NDA for oath ceremony at 10AM. Why so much hurry & rush Mr. Honest & Moral?" he tweeted well past midnight.
"If NitishJi is proud of his moral values & honesty, He would not had been in midnight rush to stake claim for govt. Honest man doesn't fear," he said in a series of tweets.