Day After Bihar Verdict: NDA Maps Power-Sharing, RJD Slumps Into Turmoil as Rohini Acharya's Public Outburst

A day after its sweeping victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) began formal discussions on forming the next government, with top leaders making their way to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence at 1, Anne Marg.The JD(U) chief, who remains the longest-serving head of government in the state, held a series of meetings with alliance partners as talks moved swiftly towards selecting the leadership team and finalising portfolios.Chirag Paswan Meets Nitish, Signals UnityUnion minister Chirag Paswan was among the first to call on Kumar. His Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is set to share power in the new government.Paswan said the NDA’s mandate had “ended all false claims” about differences between him and the chief minister.

He pointed to campaign coordination between the two parties, including JD(U) support for the LJP(RV) in Alauli, a seat long linked to his family.The reserved constituency, once represented by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan and later by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, was won this time by JD(U)’s Ram Chandra Sada. Paras’ son Yash Raj finished third.Paswan avoided speculation about whether his party sought the deputy chief minister’s post, saying decisions would be made collectively by NDA legislators. But he added that Kumar “should continue to lead the government.”

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Allies Back Nitish Kumar for Another TermNitish Kumar, 74, has faced health concerns in recent months, but campaigned actively through the polls. The JD(U), with 85 seats, finished just behind the BJP’s 89, making it a key pillar of the alliance.HAM leader Santosh Kumar Suman, son of former chief minister and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, also met Kumar and voiced support for his continuation as chief minister. HAM has won five of the six seats it contested, adding weight to the NDA’s majority.Suman said a final decision on government formation was expected within two to three days.Speculation Swirls Over Deputy CM CandidateAnother visitor was BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav, who returned to the Assembly with a win from Danapur. He dismissed talk that the party might position him as deputy chief minister to counter the RJD’s traditional influence among Yadav voters.Calling such theories “daydreams,” Yadav also took a swipe at Tejashwi Yadav for repeatedly claiming the INDIA bloc would take power on November 18.Yadav had been out of the spotlight since losing the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat to Misa Bharti in 2024. He refused to comment on internal tensions within the RJD, including Rohini Acharya’s public announcement that she was quitting politics and distancing herself from her family.BJP OBC national general secretary Nikhil Anand praised Acharya for donating a kidney to Lalu Prasad and urged her and Misa Bharti to take on a stronger leadership role within the RJD.Former Union Minister Raj Kumar Singh Walks OutMeanwhile, former Union minister Raj Kumar Singh on Saturday quit the BJP after receiving a showcause notice accusing him of “anti-party activities,” which he said amounted to suspending him from the organisation.Singh posted his resignation letter to BJP national president JP Nadda on social media, stating he was relinquishing his primary membership in response to the notice issued by the party’s Bihar headquarters earlier in the day. He also shared a letter addressed to Arvind Sharma, the state office in-charge who had sent him the showcause, informing him that the resignation had been forwarded to the central leadership.In both communications, Singh said his remarks against corruption and criminalisation in politics had “made some people uncomfortable.”Sharma had issued similar notices to MLC Ashok Kumar Agrawal and his wife Usha Agrawal, the mayor of Katihar, for canvassing for their son Saurabh, who contested the Katihar seat on a Vikassheel Insan Party ticket against BJP’s Tarkishor Prasad, a former deputy chief minister.Singh, a former Union home secretary who joined the BJP in 2014, has long been a critic of leaders such as Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging they faced criminal cases. After losing the Ara Lok Sabha seat last year, he also publicly opposed the state government’s agreement with the Adani Group to set up a power plant in Bhagalpur.Rohini Acharya Quits PoliticsMeanwhile, a day after the RJD’s heavy defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya lashed out at two close aides of her brother Tejashwi Yadav, blaming them for the party’s poor performance. Earlier, she sparked a stir on X by declaring she was “quitting politics” and “disowning” her family.

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Speaking at the Patna airport, she said Sanjay Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP, and Rameez, a longtime associate of Tejashwi, had asked her to quit. She accused them of acting like “Chanakyas” and silencing criticism. Acharya, known for donating a kidney to her father, had recently campaigned for Tejashwi during the polls.(With PTI inputs)