After steering the NDA to a sweeping win in the recent assembly elections, Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the tenth time on Thursday at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will attend Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony. Several chief ministers from NDA states will also be there, including Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtra's Eknath Shinde, and Odisha's Mohan Charan Majhi.
NDA's Commanding Performance
The 74-year-old Kumar proved his enduring appeal by leading JDU and the NDA alliance to their second-best electoral showing in Bihar. The victory comes despite questions about his political standing. Kumar was elected leader of the NDA legislature party at a meeting of MLAs from all five constituent parties, BJP, JDU, LJP(RV), HAM(S) and RLM, before staking claim to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.
Cabinet Takes Shape
The deputy chief minister positions are generating considerable interest. Outgoing deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected as leader and deputy leader of the BJP legislature party respectively, strongly suggesting they'll retain their posts. BJP's Mangal Pandey is also being discussed as a potential deputy CM candidate.
As per media reports, outgoing ministers are likely to be reappointed. Fromthe BJP's quota, Nitin Nabin, Mangal Pandey, Nitish Mishra, and Sanjay Saraogi may return. JDU is expected to retain Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Lacy Singh, and Shravan Kumar in ministerial roles. Representatives from the three smaller allied parties will also receive cabinet positions.
Bihar Election Result
The NDA swept the Bihar elections with a commanding mandate, winning 202 of the 243 assembly seats. The BJP secured 89 seats, the JD(U) took 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) claimed 19, HAM(S) won five, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha finished with four.
