Patna High Court Rejects Plea Against BJP-JDU Forming Bihar Government

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In a further blow to Lalu Yadav, the Patna High Court today dismissed a petition challenging Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU) forming government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar. 

The high court dismissed RJD MLA Saroj Yadav's petition which said that Nitish Kumar has no right to claim the CM's chair as the people's mandate in 2015 Assembly election was for the Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance. 

The formation of the new JD(U)-BJP government was 'unconstitutional', the petition said. It also argued that RJD, which has 80 MLAs, should have been called first to form the government after Nitish Kumar decided to break-off the 20-month-old alliance.

 The Janata Dal United has a strength of 71 in the present house, BJP 53 and other NDA parties 5. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unexpectedly resigned last week, but hours later joined hands with the BJP to reclaim the government in a stunning political manoeuvre that relegated his alliance partner RJD to the opposition.

 The ostensible reason for Nitish Kumar to quit was his falling out with Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.

 Tejashwi Yadav is facing corruption charges but had refused to step down despite Nitish Kumar's exhortations. Tejashwi Yadav has claimed that the CBI case against him was a conspiracy hatched by the BJP. 

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