Nitish Kumar turns up at Raj Bhavan high tea on R-Day, Tejashwi skips

Amid speculations of a rift in the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday attended the high tea ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of the Republic Day with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD remaining conspicuous by absence.

The seat next to that of Kumar was occupied by senior JD(U) leader and minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary who removed the slip said to be bearing the name of Yadav before occupying the chair.

Leader of the opposition in the assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha of the BJP, sat next to Choudhary and he was seen exchanging pleasantries with Kumar.

The high tea was organised on the occasion of the Republic Day.

Though education minister Alok Kumar Mehta, who is also a national general secretary of the RJD, was among the attendees, Yadav and many other party leaders, including Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, did not turn up.

Speculations are rife that Kumar was unhappy with the Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Congress and the RJD with three Left parties supporting the government from outside.

There are also rumours that he might be planning a return to the BJP-led NDA, though leaders of the saffron party have maintained that doors were closed for the JD(U) supremo.

JD(U) leaders have also been maintaining that the party was "firmly with" the opposition INDIA bloc.