Lalu Prasad Yadav speaks to Nitish Kumar, thanks him for returning to Mahagathbandhan

With the new Mahagathbandhan government all set to take oath at 2 PM on Wednesday, sources told Republic TV that Nitish Kumar has spoken to his arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav. During the conversation, Lalu Yadav thanked him for returning to the Mahagatbandhan, sources revealed.

In 2017, when Nitish Kumar Kumar abruptly walked out of the coalition that he had stitched with the RJD and the Congress to form a new government with the BJP. The RJD patriarch had hit out at him on numerous occasions in the aftermath calling him a 'snake' and had even said that Kumar’s aim was to cling on to power by 'hook or crook'. The duo will now set aside bad blood to form a government in Bihar.

As per sources, 2 or 3 more Ministers apart from CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav will be sworn in today. This includes JDU's Vijendra Yadav and Vijay Choudhary and RJD's Tej Pratap Yadav.  When it comes to the numbers of the 7-party Mahagathbandhan, the Congress has 19 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar assembly while the JD(U) has 45, RJD 79, CPI(MLA) 12, and CPI and CPI(M) each have two legislators. 

Sources have also revealed that Nitish Kumar will retain the Home portfolio. More ministers will be inducted into the cabinet at a later stage. Congress is said to have demanded 4 berths, including the post of the Speaker.

Nitish Kumar's oath-taking today

Five 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 a 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.

In the new Mahagathbandhan government, JDU is expected to retain the Ministerial posts that it held in the erstwhile regime. The rest of the portfolios such as Finance, Urban Development and Housing, Disaster Management, Environment & Forest, IT, BC & EBC Welfare, Industry, etc, will be divided among Congress, RJD and other allies.