Patna:
Nitish Kumar's Bihar government faces a trust vote in the state legislature today. His party, the Janata Dal United or JD(U), has 118 legislators. To win the vote, it needs 122 votes. Four of Bihar's six independent legislators have reportedly committed their support to the JD(U).
The Congress is likely to either vote in favour of Mr Kumar's government or abstain from voting, said sources in the party late on Tuesday night, adding, the support does not mean an alliance.
Senior Congress leaders have been making overtures to Mr Kumar; the trust vote will indicate if their intentions are honourable. On Monday, the Prime Minister praised him as "a secular leader." (
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When asked if a new alliance is in the making, the PM responded, "In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies. We decide as the situation evolves."
When announced that he was ending his alliance with the BJP, Mr Kumar had said, "We cannot compromise with our principles. Whatever the consequences are, we will deal with them."
He attributed his decision to the placing its election campaign in the charge of
Narendra Modi, who he describes as a "divisive leader".
The BJP in Bihar, smarting from being dumped, has reportedly decided to vote against Mr Kumar. There are 91 BJP state legislators.
Former chief minister Lalu Yadav has confirmed that the 22 legislators from his party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD, will vote against the chief minister.
The CPI, which has one legislator, has said it will abstain.