Bihar: Nitish Kumar, on Thursday, will take oath as chief minister for a record 10th time, following the NDA’s thumping victory in the assembly elections. He was unanimously chosen as the NDA’s leader after BJP’s Samrat Chaudhary proposed his name in the alliance meeting.
After the meeting, Nitish visited Raj Bhavan, submitted his resignation, and presented letters of support from NDA partners to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, staking claim to form the new government.
NDA allies hailed the mandate, with LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan asserting, “Nitish ji will be the leader,” and Upendra Kushwaha crediting women voters and the work of both Prime Minister Modi and Nitish Kumar for the alliance’s “historic win.” HAM chief Jiten Ram Manjhi praised Nitish’s two-decade tenure, calling him “fearless, honest, and free from family politics.”
Earlier, JD(U) legislators had unanimously elected Nitish as their legislative party leader. Senior BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and UP Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya are in Patna to oversee the process.
The NDA secured 202 of 243 seats, with the BJP winning 89 and the JD(U) 85. Allies LJP (RV), HAM, and RLM contributed 19, five, and four seats respectively.
Nitish will be sworn in at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where preparations and tight security are underway ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s arrival. The presence of top national leaders is expected to showcase the NDA’s Bihar victory as a significant political endorsement.
