The Janata Dal (United) has named Jitan Ram Manjhi, a minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, as the next Chief Minister of Bihar. He emerged the frontrunner a day after Nitish used his resignation to force his party to close ranks behind him.

At the JD (U) legislature party meeting on Sunday evening, Nitish was unanimously elected leader. It was presumed that the resignation was a gesture to threaten dissenting legislators with a snap poll and force them to rally behind him. The move worked, with a clamour for Nitish to withdraw his resignation.

But Nitish told the MLAs on Monday that his decision to quit was not a mere gesture. He said it had taken a lot of courage to make up his mind after the JD(U)’s poor showing.

The JD(U) won only two of Bihar’s 40 seats in the polls, which witnessed a massive mandate for its former ally, the BJP. The JD(U) had parted ways with the BJP last year, when Narendra Modi was projected as its prime ministerial candidate. “For whatever reason, the mandate was not in my favour,” Nitish said. “This is why I have decided to travel across Bihar and work for the party.”

However, even if he does not occupy the chair, the JD(U) insisted that the party will work under his overall guidance. “Nitish Kumar may not remain Chief Minister but the party will work under his direction,” said party leader Vashisht Narayan Singh.

Meanwhile, State BJP leaders stepped up their attack on Nitish. Describing him as a “drama king”, the BJP’s newly elected MP Ram Kirpal Yadav said: “The resignation drama was stage-managed. Nitish uses people and dumps them. Without power he is like a fish out of water.”

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