Amit Shah, Smriti Irani to contest Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, but hours later joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to reclaim the government in a stunning political manoeuvre that relegated his alliance partner RJD to the Opposition.

The ostensible reason for Kumar to quit was his falling out with Deputy Chief Minister Yashaswi Yadav, the son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad. Yadav is facing corruption charges but had refused to step down despite Kumar's exhortations.

"In the circumstances that prevail in Bihar, it became difficult to run the grand alliance government," Kumar said outside Raj Bhavan after submitting his resignation to Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi.

But in a series of fast paced developments that unfolded over the next few hours it became clear that Kumar was going to be the ultimate winner.

First, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for his "honesty" in standing up to corruption. Then the BJP said it would support him, and its legislators met Kumar's Janata Dal (United) (JD) (U) MLAs.

After the meeting, Kumar, accompanied by senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi drove to Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form the government.

Modi later told journalists that a list of 132 MLAs supporting the alliance was submitted to the governor who has invited Kumar to form the government. These include 71 of JD(U), BJP 53, RLSP 2, LJP 2, HAM 1 and three Independents.

He said the swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10 am on Thursday. It would be Kumar's 6th term as chief minister.

The JD(U)-BJP combine will now return to power after four years in the politically volatile state. Prodded by Kumar, the JD(U) had walked out of the NDA in July 2013 after Narendra Modi was nominated head of the BJP's campaign committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

However, the RJD appeared in no mood to give up without a fight, with Tejaswi Yadav saying he, too, would stake claim to form government.

"Have sought appointment with the governor. Will stake claim to form government as the the single largest party. Will also get the support of JD(U) MLAs who have won after defeating BJP candidates," Tejaswi tweeted. BJP president Amit Shah is set to make his debut as a member of Parliament with the BJP parliamentary board on Wednesday announcing that he will contest the August 8 Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat.

Union minister Smriti Irani will also contest the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat from where she is already an MP and her term ends on August 18. Shah at present is an MLA from Gujarat, where BJP has a government.

Their names were announced by senior party leader J.P. Nadda after the meeting of the party panel. The terms of nine Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat and West Bengal are ending on August 18. These include Irani, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Trinamul leader Derek O'Brien.

Out of the 9 retiring members, four are from the Trinamul two from the Congress, two from the BJP and one from the CPM. The retirement of Ahmed Patel (Congress), Dilipbhai Pandya (BJP) and Irani (BJP) — all from Gujarat — is due on August 18. The tenure of members from WB — O'Brien (TMC), Debabrata Bandhopadhyay (TMC), Pradip Bhattacharya (Congress), Yechury (CPM), Sukhenduhakhar Roy (TMC) and Dola Sen (TMC) ends on August 18.