JD(U) may seek alliance with RJD in Bihar after Nitish Kumar's resgination

Patna: The embattled Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, whose resignation was accepted by Governor D.Y. Patil in the evening with a request to continue in a caretaker capacity, said he stepped down taking “full moral responsibility” for the JD(U)’s drastic decline from 20 seats in 2009 to just two seats in the 2014 LS polls.

While the BJP currently appears unwilling to form government and Mr Kumar is widely expected to be re-elected as the leader of the JD(U)’s legislative party in its MLAs’ meeting slated for Sunday, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, who himself lost the Madhepura election, sent out conflicting signals.

Indicating the possibility of the party tying up with its bitterest rival, the RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the JD(U) chief told reporters in Delhi, “A CM candidate will be decided tomorrow... We will take a decision tomorrow which will surprise the nation. We will save the country.” Significantly, the RJD chief, speaking in Patna, did not directly deny such a possibility, saying he was “waiting and watching”.

Dissent against Mr Kumar’s leadership and campaign strategy within the JD(U) had become more vocal earlier in the day, with his close aide Gyanendra Singh Gyanu speaking out to the media.