Nitish Kumar joins hands with RJD again: How numbers stack up in Bihar assembly

Once seen as a potential rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, 71, who earlier in the day submitted his resignation as the chief minister heading the NDA coalition, said he submitted a list of 164 MLAs to governor Phagu Chauhan.

Nitish Kumar on Tuesday broke ranks with the BJP-led NDA coalition to stake claim as head of the rival 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) to be chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and JDU leader Nitish Kumar interact with the media after meeting Bihar governor Phagu Chauhan to form a new government in Patna, Bihar.  (Santosh Kumar /HT photo)

Once seen as a potential rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar, 71, who earlier in the day submitted his resignation as the chief minister heading the NDA coalition, said he submitted a list of 164 MLAs to governor Phagu Chauhan. He will take oath as chief minister at 2pm at Raj Bhawan in Patna on Wednesday, said the RJD, his new ally.

The effective strength of the state assembly is 242 and the magic figure is 122.

Here are party positions in the Bihar assembly:

Total strength: 243

Effective strength: 242 (1 RJD member disqualified)

Majority: 122

Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan): JD(U) - 46 (45 party MLAs, 1 Independent)

RJD: 79

Congress: 19

CPI(ML): 12

CPI: 02

CPI(M): 02

HAM: 04

Total: 164

BJP: 77

AIMIM: 01