In a bitter blow to former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Patna High Court stayed the decision to elect him as JD(U) chief. The court ruled the move illegal.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nitish arrived in the national capital on Tuesday evening in a bid to pave the way for his return as the state's CM. He was accompanied by nearly 70 lawmakers from his party JD(U). Sixty MLAs had earlier already been flown in.
In an effort to prove that his claim to the top elected office in Bihar is indisputable, Nitish plans to parade the lawmakers for President Pranab Mukherjee, reports NDTV.
Governor KN Tripathi is denying the former Bihar CM to take a trust vote immediately.
"We have presented everything to the governor showing that we are eligible to form the government. But a delay in his decision is polluting the environment," said Nitish.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, the current CM of the state, was expelled from the party for refusing to step down from his post to make way for Nitish Kumar.
Manjhi was made chief minister of Bihar eight months back after Nitish resigned because of the party's poor performance in the 2014 general elections.
Not flustered by the proceedings, Manjhi called a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to drive home the point that he still calls the shots.
JD(U) has argued that a delay in a trust vote to test Nitish Kumar's strength will lead to defections.
Manjhi's rebellion is being seen as a conspiracy by Nitish and his colleagues. They claim it's an attempt to divide JD(U) before the Bihar assembly elections later this year.
The BJP-JD(U) alliance ended on a bitter note ahead of the general elections last year.
