Nitish Kumar Resigns; Set to Take Oath as Chief Minister for Record 10th Time Tomorrow

Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be taking an unprecedented oath for the tenth time on Thursday morning following his selection as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leader by acclamation a day before. The Bharat Janata Party (BJP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary made the proposal during the NDA legislature party meeting in Patna.

After the meeting, Nitish Kumar went to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan accompanied by the letters of support from the NDA allies and thus, he an officially formed the new government by submitting his claim. “I attended the NDA legislature party meeting in the Central Hall,” he said to the journalists after having returned to his residence.

During the meeting, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan spoke very positively about the decisive mandate of the NDA and declared, “Nitish ji will be the leader.” Upendra Kushwaha said that the women voters were the ones who made the alliance win “historic victory” and he added that the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was very important.

The other Indian National Lok Dal chief, Jitan Ram Manjhi also talked about Mr. Kumar’s leadership qualities and said that it’s very rare for leaders to remain popular for two decades without an opposition. Manjhi added, “There is no leader like Nitish Kumar — honest, fearless, and free from family politics.”

Earlier, JD(U) legislators elected Nitish Kumar as their legislative party leader unanimously, and this facilitated a smooth transition into the next government formation. Senior leaders of the BJP including Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya arrived in Patna for the leadership election process.

The NDA had a landslide victory in the Bihar Assembly elections by winning 202 out of 243 seats. The BJP was the single largest party with 89 seats while JD(U) was not far behind with 85 seats. The remaining allies — LJP (RV) with 19 seats, HAM with five, and RLM with four — further strengthened the coalition’s comfortable majority.

A Grand Oath Ceremony at Gandhi Maidan

On Thursday, Nitish Kumar will be sworn in at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan which is a site of great importance in the history of the city. Security measures have been put in place and the preparations are in full swing after the Mumbai visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a large number of Ministers from the Union Cabinet, and the Chief Ministers of the NDA are likely to come as well; this indicates that the coalition wants to present the election result of Bihar as a major political recognition.

Allies Push for Cabinet Berths Amid Last-Minute Negotiations

Cabinet composition debates have become more heated as the swearing-in ceremony is only one day away. The Home portfolio, now with Nitish Kumar, is the primary source of disagreement. The JD(U) is not open to relinquishing it, while, the BJP, which is now the largest party, is insisting on receiving more of the key ministries.

The Speaker’s seat is at the same time a contentious issue, with both JD(U) and BJP wanting to control it. In the previous assembly, Nand Kishore Yadav from the BJP served as Speaker, while Narayan Yadav from the JD(U) was Deputy Speaker.

Reports say JD(U) may keep most of its ministers and BJP may take in fresh faces. LJP (RV) is likely to get 3 cabinet positions, while HAM and RLM might each get 1.

“Discussions are taking place, and the other issues will get solved by the evening,” said JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad.