Head of India’s Bihar resigns after falling short of support
The chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar has stepped down after his continued efforts to garner enough backing in the party proved futile.
Jitan Ram Manjhi announced his resignation Friday hours before the Janata Dal (United) party was going to hold a confidence vote on him.
Manjhi’s resignation effectively paved the way for the return of Nitish Kumar, the most popular figure in the party, who ruled Bihar before Manjhi.
The fall in support for Manjhi was intensified after he allegedly defied an order by Kumar (pictured above) to let him fill the post of chief minister. Manjhi said his decision to quit the job came after his position as the chief minister weakened and his supporters received death threats.
The eastern Bihar, the third populous state in India and one of the poorest in the country, was crippled by weeks of political uncertainty in the wake of the dispute between the two major figures.
After Manjhi’s resignation, JD(U) members unanimously elected Kumar as the new party leader. “Our stand has been vindicated,” said Kumar amid the jubilant crowd in the state's capital, Patna.
Kumar has accused India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured above) of trying to sow discord within the JD(U) by supporting Manjhi. The 63-year-old Kumar resigned as chief minister of Bihar after his party’s number of seats in the national parliament fell considerably in last May’s general elections.
Kumar is well known in India for having the best record among various states in spurring economic growth. He was once a staunch opponent of Modi and refused to continue his alliance with Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The JD(U) has decided to ally with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal to defeat the BJP in the next election which is slated for later this year.
MS/NN/HMV
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