Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Sunday, breaking away from the grand alliance less than 18 months after forming a new government in the state with the support of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD.

Nitish Kumar met the governor at the Raj Bhavan following a meeting of Janata Dal (United) MLSs at his residence. The JDU president is expected to stake claim to form a new government with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s support.

News agency PTI reported that the governor has accepted Nitish Kumar’s resignation, and asked him to continue as caretaker chief minister till a new government is formed. Nitish Kumar was accompanied by senior minister Bijendra Yadav of the JD(U) when he went to the Raj Bhavan.

This is the fourth time Nitish Kumar switched sides.

“Today, I have resigned from the post of chief minister and I have also asked the governor to dissolve the government in the state…,” Nitish Kumar the media outside the Raj Bhavan.

“Honorable governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar accepted the resignation of Honorable chief minister Shri Nitish Kumar and asked him to act as acting chief minister until alternative arrangements are made,” the Raj Bhavan wrote on social media X (formally Twitter).

The BJP has the largest number of 17 MPs in Bihar, where the total number of Lok Sabha members is 40. The JD(U), headed by Nitish Kumar, has 16, while another NDA ally LJP, now split up between the uncle-nephew duo of Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six.

In the Bihar assembly of 243, the RJD has 79 MLAs; followed by the BJP’s 78; the JD(U)’s 45′ the Congress’s 19, the CPI (M-L)’s 12, two each of the CPI(M) and CPI, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)’s four seats, and the AIMIM’s one, plus one Independent legislator.