Nitish Kumar's JD(U) to join NDA

The two had spilt in 2013.

The partnership, before the split, had existed for  nearly two decades.

BJP President Amit Shah appreciated the move and welcomed the decision as he tweeted:" JD(U) द्वारा प्रस्ताव पारित कर NDA में शामिल होने के निर्णय का मैं स्वागत करता हूँ। (It's a welcome move by JDU to join the NDA).

He said the movie will also help in starting a new era of development in Bihar.

The inclusion is held as Nitish Kumar's homecoming as he was earlier affiliated with the NDA and left it after the BJP went ahead and declared Nerendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections.

Riding on the Modi wave, the BJP swept the polls later.

However, Kumar managed to level the competition after the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah led BJP failed to capture Bihar a year later.

The grand alliance won it comfortably with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD emerging as the highest gainer.

However, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister, while Lalu's son Tejaswi Yadav joined the cabinet as Kumar's deputy.

The exclusion of the latter a month ago created the rift, resulting in Kumar changing alliance and joining the BJP-led NDA.

Kumar, who is known to be a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has however praised him in recent times, calling him a true leader.

He has also predicted that it will be impossible for the opposition to take down Modi in the upcoming 2019 general elections.