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Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Friday extended his greetings to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who turned 73 years old today.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the RJD leader and Nitish Kumar's former ally wrote, "Birthday wishes to respected Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on his birthday." "I pray to God for your good health, happiness and long life," he added. Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade. Two Deputy Chief Ministers from the BJP, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers, including Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shrawan Kumar, and others, also took the oath earlier. Nitish Kumar, after parting ways with the BJP in 2022, took on the initiative of uniting all opposition forces to jointly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party in the national election. In 2000, Nitish became CM for the first time after campaigning against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's 'Jungle Raaj'. Till now, he has been Bihar's CM on eight occasions.In 2013, Nitish broke ranks with the NDA after a 17-year alliance following the announcement of Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. He expressed his displeasure to the BJP over Modi's selection as the PM face, and after the BJP decided not to change its decision, Kumar left the alliance. In 2017, Nitish forged a grand alliance with the RJD and Congress and returned as chief minister in 2015. He walked out of the grand alliance in 2017, accusing the RJD of corruption and choking governance in the state. In 2022, Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP once again, alleging the BJP was conspiring against him and trying to influence JD-U MLAs to rebel against him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his best wishes to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on his birthday. "Best wishes to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on his birthday. Praying for his long and healthy life in service of the people," Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. Kumar's birthday celebration became a focal point of political camaraderie within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as he received greetings from across the political spectrum. (ANI)
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