Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar is set to take oath today, marking a record tenth time he will assume the office. On Wednesday, NDA MLAs unanimously elected him as the leader of the legislature party. Following the decision, Nitish met Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, submitted his resignation as Chief Minister, and requested an invitation to form the new government. He also handed over a letter containing the signatures of supporting MLAs. The Governor accepted his resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until the new government is formed.
The swearing-in ceremony, including Nitish Kumar and his cabinet ministers, will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, along with Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states, are expected to attend. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh will also be present. Meanwhile, BJP has named former Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary as the leader of its legislative party in Bihar, and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the deputy leader, according to party observer Keshav Prasad Maurya.
The NDA recently secured a sweeping victory in the Bihar Assembly elections. With the Governor’s approval, the alliance will form the new government today. Out of 243 seats, the NDA won a commanding 202 seats, paving the way for another term under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed by JD(U) with 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) with 19, HAM with 5, and RLM with 4 seats. In contrast, the opposition Mahagathbandhan managed only 35 seats, suffering a significant defeat.