Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a historic tenth time on Thursday at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, following the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) sweeping victory in the Assembly elections. The Janata Dal (United) chief, long dismissed by critics as past his political prime, led his party to an impressive win with 85 seats, while the NDA secured 202 of the 243 seats.
Top Leaders Attend Oath Ceremony
The oath-taking ceremony doubled as a demonstration of NDA’s political strength. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and leaders from allied governments, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, attended the event. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav remarked that Bihar was “once again on the path of development under PM Modi’s guidance.”
Also Read – Bangladeshi Man Admits Using Father-in-Law’s Name to Obtain Indian Voter ID Amid Bengal’s SIR Exercise
Nitish Kumar’s Political Milestone
With this term, Nitish Kumar—already among India’s longest-serving chief ministers—moves closer to surpassing Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling as the longest-serving CM if he completes the five-year term.
Nineteen Ministers Sworn In, BJP Gets Lion’s Share
Nineteen MLAs were sworn in as ministers, starting with senior BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Sinha and Dilip Jaiswal. Both Choudhary and Sinha earlier served as deputy chief ministers and are expected to retain similar roles.
Other BJP inductees include Sanjay Kumar Singh, Pramod Kumar, Lakhendra Raushan, Rama Nishad, Narayan Prasad, Surendra Mehata, Arun Shankar Prasad, Sanjay ‘Tiger’ Singh and accomplished shooter-turned-MLA Shreyasi Singh.
The BJP, which won 89 seats, secured ten ministerial berths, maintaining its position as the dominant partner.
Also Read – Gangster Anmol Bishnoi Sent to 11-Day NIA Custody in Baba Siddique Murder Case
JDU and Allies Find Representation
The JDU’s six ministers include senior leaders Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Shrawon Kumar, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Ashok Choudhary, and former Minorities Welfare Minister Mohd Zama Khan.
Smaller NDA allies—Lok Janshakti Party (Chirag Paswan), Hindustan Awam Morcha (Jitan Ram Manjhi), and Rashtriya Lok Manch (Upendra Kushwaha)—received one berth each. Deepak Prakash (RLM) and Santosh Manjhi (HAM), both MLCs, were also inducted.
