Patna: Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for a record tenth time on Thursday, November 20, marking yet another chapter in his decades-long hold over state politics.
The Janata Dal (United) president had been unanimously chosen as leader of both the JD(U) Legislature Party and the National Democratic Alliance Legislature Party a day earlier, clearing the path for the new government’s formation.
NDA Legislature Party Leadership
During Wednesday’s meeting in Patna, newly elected JD(U) MLAs selected Kumar as their Legislature Party leader at his official residence. The NDA partners later endorsed him as their unanimous choice to head the alliance government.
In a parallel meeting at the BJP’s state headquarters, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected as leader and deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, appointed as the central observer for the process, proposed both names which were then supported by all MLAs present. The developments indicate that Choudhary and Sinha are likely to continue as Deputy Chief Ministers, retaining their positions from the previous administration.
High-Profile Attendance at Oath Ceremony
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda attended the swearing-in ceremony, alongside chief ministers from several NDA-ruled states. Shah and Nadda had arrived in Patna on Wednesday ahead of the event.
Alliance Composition and Cabinet Allocation
Kumar submitted his resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday before staking claim to form the new government. As per the understanding reached within the NDA, ministerial berths will reportedly be allocated proportionately. Beyond the BJP and JD(U), the smaller alliance partners are expected to receive one cabinet position for every six MLAs.
One minister is likely from the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, another from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and three from Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). According to sources, eight MLAs each from the BJP and JD(U) are expected to take oath today, along with one MLA each from RLM, HAM(S) and the LJP (Ram Vilas).
