The Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance was formed in 2015 prior to the Assembly elections in the state and was very successful, winning 178 out of the 243 seats. However, the BJP
managed to secure the highest vote share out of all the parties (24.4 per cent), although it only
managed to win 53 seats. Despite the huge victory, due to internal divisions, Nitish Kumar
led the JD(U) out of the alliance and joined hands with the BJP to secure power in the state.
Due to the internal division in the alliance and the corruption charges against RJD chief Lalu
Prasad Yadav, Kumar flipped sides and joined hands with the BJP, in a huge shift in a span of
14 hours. During the 2020 state elections, the BJP and JD(U)-led National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) fought against the Mahagathbandhan led by the RJD and secured the state with 125
seats. The Mahagathbandhan emerged as the principal opposition and managed to secure
110 seats. However, the NDA alliance in the state lasted for a little over a year, after which in
August 2022, Kumar left the BJP-led coalition again, and staked claim to the state with the
support of 164 MLAs as the head of the Mahagathbandhan. Kumar was elected as the Chief
Minister of Bihar for the eighth time following this manoeuvre.
