Nitish Kumar to Take Oath as Bihar Chief Minister for Record 10th Time After NDA's Landslide Victory

Nitish Kumar is set to be sworn-in as Bihar chief minister for a record 10th time today, following the NDA's landslide victory in the assembly elections.

Preparations for the swearing-in ceremony at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan are in the final stages, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several top NDA leaders expected to attend.

Multiple pandals have been erected alongside the main stage to accommodate VIPs, with elaborate security arrangements in place. Officials anticipate over three lakh people will gather for this significant event.

Kumar submitted his resignation as the outgoing Chief Minister to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday, accompanied by Union minister Chirag Paswan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

State BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal confirmed the governor accepted Kumar's resignation while requesting he continue as caretaker CM until the new government formation.

Kumar was elected leader of the NDA legislature party following meetings with newly elected MLAs. During these meetings, Samrat Choudhary was chosen as BJP legislature party leader with Vijay Kumar Sinha as deputy leader.

The election process was overseen by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, appointed as BJP's central observer, along with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and former Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti serving as co-observers.

Intensive negotiations among NDA allies regarding cabinet berth allocation continued throughout the day. The new Bihar Cabinet is expected to include 16 ministers from BJP and 14 from JD(U), including Kumar himself.

Sources indicate consensus has been reached to appoint BJP's Prem Kumar as Assembly Speaker, while the Deputy Speaker position will likely go to JD(U).

The incoming Cabinet is expected to feature five to six new faces from the main NDA constituents. Umesh Singh Kushwaha, JD(U) state chief who secured victory in Mahnar assembly seat, is likely to join the new Cabinet.

While JD(U) is expected to retain most current ministers, BJP may introduce several new faces. Smaller coalition partners will also receive representation - LJP(RV) led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan likely getting three berths, while HAM-S led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLM led by Upendra Kushwaha receiving one each.

JD(U) leaders anticipated in the new Cabinet include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Shrowan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Lesi Singh, Sheila Mandal, Madan Sahni, Ratnesh Sada, Mohammad Zama Khan, Jayant Raj, Umesh Singh Kushwaha, and Ashok Chowdhary.

Additional probable JD(U) inductees include Rahul Kumar Singh, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Kaladhar Prasad Mandal, and Panna Lal Singh Patel.

BJP sources indicate most ministers from the outgoing Cabinet will continue, with possibly three new faces under consideration. Those likely returning include Samrat Choudhary, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Nitish Mishra, Renu Devi, Jibesh Kumar, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Janak Ram, Hari Sahni, Kedar Prasad Gupta, Surendra Mehta, Santosh Kumar Singh, Sunil Kumar, and Motil Lal Prasad.

Potential BJP newcomers include former IPS officer Anand Mishra (elected from Buxar), Rana Randhir, Gayatri Devi, and Vijay Kumar Khemka.

A JD(U) leader emphasized their aim for greater cabinet representation, noting that in the outgoing government, BJP held 15 ministerial positions while JD(U) had 12 including the Chief Minister. Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) had one minister, as did an Independent candidate.

Another JD(U) leader pointed to their significantly improved assembly performance, stating, "Given that our MLA count has risen sharply since 2020, when we had fewer than 50, we expect more berths this time."

The NDA secured a decisive victory in Bihar, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly. Within the coalition, BJP claimed 89 seats, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5, and RLM 4.

Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor acknowledged his decision not to contest the Bihar polls as a "mistake," noting his party received less than 4 percent of votes. In an interview with NDTV India, Kishor stated, "My decision not to contest polls can be considered a mistake. We have to do a lot to achieve a satisfactory result." The former poll strategist affirmed his continued commitment to winning future elections in Bihar, declaring, "I will not back down without winning Bihar. I don't know how much time it will take."