'Nitish Kumar is a snake': As Lalu Prasad Yadav's 2017 tweet surfaces, BJP taunts RJD

Ahead of the swearing-in of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav, Union Minister Giriraj Singh took a dig at RJD supremo and ex-Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav. He dug up a tweet posted by Yadav on August 2, 2017, where he commented, "Nitish is a snake, just like a snake sheds its skin, so Nitish also sheds its skin and wears a new skin like a snake every two years. Doubt anyone"? Back then, RJD was hurt at Kumar returning to the NDA fold leading to the collapse of the Bihar government. Reacting to this, Union Minister Giriraj Singh quipped, "The snake has entered your house". 

Oath-taking today

5 years after returning to the NDA fold, Nitish Kumar took another U-turn and joined hands with RJD, Congress, and the Left once again. He submitted his resignation to Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan and staked claim to form a new government with the support of 164 MLAs. Thus, only BJP and the lone AIMIM MLA constitute the opposition space in Bihar now. Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be sworn in as the CM and Deputy CM respectively in the Raj Bhavan at 2 pm today. 

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's U-turns

Before forming the Janata Dal (United), he was a part of the Janata Party, Samata Party, and the Janata Dal. Barring for a short period between May 2014- February 2015, Nitish Kumar has remained the CM of Bihar since November 2005. While his party has never won a simple majority of its own, it has been a part of the government owing to strategic alliances. Though it formed the government in Bihar in 2005 and 2010 in an alliance with BJP, it dumped the saffron party in June 2013 objecting to Narendra Modi being elevated as the PM face of NDA.

At that juncture, Kumar cleared the floor test with the support of Congress MLAs. Contesting as a part of Mahagatbandhan in the 2015 Assembly polls, JDU won 71 seats. Even though RJD had 80 legislators, it allowed Kumar to become the CM. However, he resigned on July 26, 2017, citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP. Thereafter, he not only managed to secure 5 extra seats for JDU in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls but also retained his position as the CM in 2020 despite BJP having more seats.