New Delhi : Nitish Kumar will take oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a historic 10th time after he was elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday, following the alliance’s landslide victory in the recent Assembly elections.
This came after the JD(U) supremo was chosen as the leader of its legislature party during a meeting of newly elected MLAs at his residence at 1, Anne Marg. “Nitish Kumar has been chosen as JD(U)’s legislature party leader by the newly elected MLAs,” state minister Shrawon Kumar told news agency PTI.
After the JD(U) meeting, Nitish Kumar, accompanied by Vijay Chaudhary and Sanjay Jha, reached for the NDA legislative party meeting in the State legislative assembly’s Central Hall, where he was elected as the leader of the NDA.
Kumar will meet Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in the evening, requesting him to initiate the process for the formation of the new government. He will also submit a letter of support from all NDA constituents to the governor for the formation of the new government.
“For the first time in the history of Bihar, and even in the history of India and the world, our Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will take oath for the tenth time. Bihar has a very grand occasion to celebrate, welcoming the new government with new challenges. This phase will truly be a golden era for Bihar,” said BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
The swearing-in of the new government is scheduled for November 20, but leaders of the JD(U) and the BJP are reportedly yet to resolve their differences over key positions, with both parties negotiating over the Deputy Chief Minister posts and the Speaker’s position. BJP’s Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha are likely to be retained as deputy CMs.
The NDA swept back to power with 202 seats in the 243-member House, with BJP bagging 89, JD(U) 85, LJP (RV) 19, HAM-S 5 and RLM 4. The opposition’s Mahagathbandhan was decimated to less than 40 seats, with RJD getting 25 and the Congress getting six out of the 61 it had contested.
