NDTV Explains: The 'Final Straw' - A Tweet - That Led To Shock Nitish Kumar Move

Sources have told NDTV that if Nitish Kumar does re-ally with the BJP, he will stay as Chief Minister of Bihar till the next Assembly election - in 2025, and that the two parties will then contest that election together.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar set the cat among the pigeons Thursday - first snubbing an invitation to join Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', and then leaving the Congress-led INDIA bloc on edge by reaching out to the BJP. By the end of the day, Nitish Kumar - credited with coaxing the opposition into the unlikely alliance - was closer to re-aligning with the saffron party, which he dumped less than two years ago, than realising his dream of ousting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Should it happen, there were several factors that led to the mercurial Janata Dal (United) boss' fifth flip-flop in a decade - one that could reshape the political landscape in the BJP's favour. Among these, sources have told NDTV, is increasing friction between the JDU and its (for now) ally in the state government - Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The final straw, sources said, was a social media attack on the Chief Minister by Mr Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya.