(Bloomberg) — A political alliance challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dealt a blow ahead of elections when a chief minister of an opposition-held state switched sides to join forces with the ruling party.
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Nitish Kumar was heading the government in the eastern state of Bihar with a coalition of smaller parties before he switched to ally with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the Press Trust of India. He took the oath of office as chief minister for the ninth time on Sunday.
The political development in the state, which has a population larger than any nation in the European Union and sends 40 lawmakers to parliament, is a setback for India’s opposition unity as Kumar was a key member of the new federal opposition alliance of 28 parties. He was even seen as a possible leader to take on Modi in national elections due in the first half of this year.
“Things were not working out well, therefore I had to resign,” Kumar was cited by PTI as saying after the move.
Ties between Kumar’s party and its main partner Rashtriya Janata Dal had soured, prompting him to hold negotiations with the BJP. Kumar had earlier formed a government with the help of Modi’s party after their coalition had retained power following state elections in November 2020. They had severed ties in 2022.
The new realignment in the state comes at a time when Modi seeks a third five-year term in the office. His election prospects are also supported by an economy that is one of the world’s fastest growing and a stock market that overtook Hong Kong as the world’s fourth-largest.
The political opposition has faced some issues in the last week with Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal and the head of the Trinamool Congress party, saying it will contest in the state alone. Another opposition group, Aam Aadmi party, said it will not join forces with Congress in Punjab.
(Updates with new lead and details throughout.)
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