BJP loses crucial Indian state of Bihar after ally switches sides

An ally of the BJP switches sides, causing the party to lose Bihar, a crucial Indian state

Bihar, India's third-most populous state, fell to an opposition alliance on Tuesday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regional ally broke ranks to join it.

The fall of the government in Bihar is a rare setback for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates Indian politics.

Despite the collapse of Bihar's coalition ahead of the 2024 general election, the BJP continues to be expected to win for a third consecutive term unless disparate opposition parties unite.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar from the regional Janata Dal (United) party has resigned from the BJP coalition after his colleagues recommended it. According to him, the BJP was undermining his party.

According to Kumar, a new government will be formed soon with the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal as its biggest constituent.

After jointly winning the 2020 state election, the BJP said Kumar had betrayed it and the Bihar people.

In the 2019 general election, the BJP coalition won 39 out of 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar, helping Modi win an unprecedented mandate.

According to state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar will learn a lesson from Bihar's people. In the next state election in 2025, we will win more than two-thirds of the assembly seats, in addition to doing well in 2024."