JOIN USBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation has opened up many possible scenarios while plunging the state into a political crisis.
The first scenario is, Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi will ask political parties to stake their claim to form the next government.
In that event, Nitish would have to decide what he wishes to do before any realignment of parties can take place to avoid fresh elections, as the Assembly has three more years of its term left.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad has already set the ball rolling by calling for a Grand Alliance of his party, the Congress and the JD(U) to choose another leader. He has said the ‘mahagatbandhan’ of 2015 was to keep the BJP out of power.
Congress hopes
This would mean the JD(U)-RJD alliance continues under a new chief minister. This is something that the Congress still hopes is possible. But after what Nitish and Lalu have said against each other, things may not be that easy.
Another scenario is, the JD(U) can align with the BJP and the two can form a working coalition government. The numbers, too, support this plan. The RJD has 80 seats, JD(U) 71, BJP 53, Congress 27, LJP 2, RLSP 2, HAM 1, CPI(ML) Liberation 3 and Independents 4 seats.
The JD(U) and the BJP have a combined strength of 124 MLAs, more than the halfway mark for the 243-member Assembly.
If the BJP asks for the chief minister’s post in exchange for the JD(U) staying in power, Nitish may not find it palatable.