Don't favour midterm elections in Bihar: BJP after Nitish Kumar resigns as chief minister

The Bharatiya Janata Party said on Wednesday it did not favour midterm elections in Bihar and wanted all MLAs to complete their term, minutes after Nitish Kumar quit as the chief minister of the state. (LIVE UPDATES)

" We are happy that Nitish Kumar did not compromise on the issue of corruption and did not bow down to the RJD. The BJP is not in favour of mid-term polls and wants that all MLAs complete their term," senior BJP leader Sushil Modi told reporters in Patna.

At a meeting of the Bihar BJP, it was decided that Sushil Kumar Modi and two other leaders will apprise the central party leadership of the developments in the state so a final call can be taken on the crisis.

After the BJP parliamentary board's meeting in New Delhi, JP Nadda said the three-member panel will speak to MLAs in Bihar and apprise the central leadership of the situation in the state.

In a surprise move, Kumar quit , saying he can't work in the "current circumstances" following corruption allegations against deputy chief



minister Tejashwi Yadav but didn't rule out a tie-up with the BJP for running a future government.

Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad earlier said it was for the Janata Dal-United leader to decide whether he wanted to ally with the BJP to form a new government in Bihar.

"The break-up was bound to happen. There is no place for honesty and moral values in Lalu Prasad's politics. There was no coordination... convenience was the only reason for the alliance (between JD-U and Rashtriya Janata Dal). Such alliance does not work long," Prasad said after Kumar's resignation.

Kumar said he quit as the chief minister in the state's interest after failing to resolve the crisis plaguing the ruling Grand Alliance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Kumar's resignation, saying in doing so he has joined the fight against corruption. Immediately after Kumar announced his resignation, Modi tweeted: "Congratulations! Mr Nitish Kumar for joining the fight against corruption."