Bihar: Tension deepens between Nitish and Tejashwi amid rumors of new government

Patna: The tension between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has deepened, which was seen during the Republic Day celebrations at Gandhi Maidan. Both the leaders were sitting at some distance from each other while the Deputy Chief Minister’s chair was kept at a distance of at least five feet from the Chief Minister. They did not even talk to each other during the ceremony. The two leaders usually sit together during official events and often interact with each other. Tejashwi also did not attend the high-tea party at Raj Bhavan and changed his schedule at the last moment, while the Chief Minister was accompanied by Building Construction Minister Ashok Chaudhary and Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary at the function. In the Raj Bhavan, a chair was placed for the Deputy Chief Minister next to the Chief Minister, but during the function, Ashok Choudhary removed the name plate and sat next to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister of Bihar may once again form a new government next week with the support of BJP, leaving aside his alliance partners RJD and others. Sources said that final round of talks are currently going on between JD-U and BJP and it is likely to be finalized by next week. “The next government in Bihar is likely to be the JD-U, BJP and Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAMS) alliance,” sources said. JD-U has 45 MLAs, BJP has 76 and HAMS has 4, i.e. the total number is 125. There are 243 seats in Bihar Assembly, while 122 MLAs are needed to form the government.