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Nitish questions delay, leaves for Delhi with supporting MLAs

“It is more than 24 hours and no decision has come from the Bihar Governor in regard to our claim to form the government. The majority is in our favour and we will request the President of India about it. We will take our MLAs to him around 2.15 pm tomorrow,” Kumar told reporters at the Patna airport.

Kumar, who ruled the state as the Chief Minister from 2005 to mid-2014 and was again elected the leader of JD(U) Legislature Party (JDULP) on Monday, said the delay on part of Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi vitiates the atmosphere and promotes horse-trading.

“The delay should not happen. We have staked our claim for government formation and given everything in writing to the Governor. We have presented the MLAs in our support in person. We want that constitutional values should be upheld and no wrong measures should be adopted for government formation,” he added.

Kumar, who has claimed a support of 130 MLAs, left by an Indigo Airlines flight with around 60 MLAs. Around an equal number of MLAs left for Delhi on an earlier flight by the same airliner. All the legislators will put up at a 5-star hotel in Noida in UP after disembarking at New Delhi airport.

The former chief minister was accompanied by senior leaders and former ministers of his party including Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Shrawan Kumar, Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lallan’, P K Shahi and Damodar Raut.

‘Erred in picking Manjhi as CM’
With his handpicked CM Jitan Ram Manjhi challenging him, JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said he had erred in choosing his successor. “Manjhi himself has talked about this ... that had I lost sense while choosing him,” he said. Kumar justified his decision to resign as the Chief Minister in the wake of the drubbing faced by JD(U) in general election, though his decision in choosing his successor went wrong. “I had taken the decision to appoint him with good intention at that point of time, though after eight months it has been proved wrong,” Kumar said.

Manjhi to look after 18 departments

With the strength of the Bihar Cabinet now reduced to just nine, Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday, said that he himself will look after 18 important departments. Earlier, he was holding charge of just nine departments. He will now handle Home, Finance, Cabinet Secretariat, General Administration, Vigilance, Election, Energy, SC and ST Welfare, Information and Public Relations, Disaster Management, Commercial Taxes, Building and Construction, Water Resources, Environment and Forests among others.


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