Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM again after break-up with BJP

Nitish Kumar took oath again as chief minister of Bihar state on Wednesday, a day after ending an alliance with PM Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mr Kumar was in a coalition with the BJP in the northern state since 2017.

But on Tuesday, he said he would form a new alliance with other parties, including former ally-turned-rival Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

This is the second time in nine years that Mr Kumar has split from the BJP.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr Kumar was sworn in for the eighth time as the chief minister of Bihar. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took oath as the deputy chief minister.

One of the most influential leaders in the populous and politically crucial state of Bihar, Mr Kumar heads the Janata Dal United (JDU).

Tension had been brewing in the party's coalition with the BJP for some days, after JDU leaders accused their ally of trying to split their party. Mr Kumar told reporters he decided to break the alliance after receiving feedback from his party lawmakers.

But he has now forged a reputation for breaking partnerships with allies.

Mr Kumar was a federal minister in the BJP government of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1999 and 2004. But in 2013, he criticised the BJP's decision to make Mr Modi their prime ministerial candidate and ended the alliance.

He said at the time that Mr Modi didn't have secular credentials and it made him uncomfortable.

He won the Bihar state elections in 2015 and formed a coalition government with his bitter rival, Lalu Prasad Yadav of the RJD.

But he broke the partnership in 2017 and resigned as chief minister, saying he was not comfortable with corruption charges against the leaders of the RJD.

He again took oath the next day after finding a new partner in the BJP, which he had defeated in the bitterly contested 2015 election.

The JDU-BJP alliance won the election in 2020 but didn't survive its full five-year term.

BJP leaders have accused Mr Kumar of "betraying the people's mandate" by breaking their alliance.