Nitish Kumar to be sworn in as Bihar CM for 10th time on November 20

NDA is set to form a new 35-member Nitish Kumar-led ministry after the 17th Assembly ended, as JDU-BJP finalise berths and the opposition names Tejashwi Yadav its leader

Janata Dal United (JDU) President Nitish Kumar is scheduled to take oath as the chief minister of Bihar for a record tenth time in Patna on Thursday. He will be heading a 35-member council of ministers.

 

The term of the outgoing 17th Assembly expires on November 22. Kumar submitted his resignation as head of the outgoing government to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Monday. Earlier in the day, the last cabinet meeting of the outgoing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government “authorised” Kumar to recommend dissolution of the Assembly.

 

Given its improved performance, winning 85 seats, the JDU could be allocated 15 ministerial berths, including the CM. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which, with 89 seats, emerged as the largest single party in the Assembly for the first time ever, could get 16 ministerial berths, including a couple of deputy CMs.

 

Union Minister Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), or LJP (RV), which won 19 seats, could be allotted three ministerial berths on the formula of one berth for six seats won. Other constituents of the NDA, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) or HAM (S), and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) could have one ministerial berth each. The HAM (S) and RLM won five and four seats, respectively, in the polls, counting for which took place on Friday.

 

Bihar has a 243-member Assembly, and under the Constitution’s provisions, its council of ministers could have 36 members, including the CM.

 

Of the 25 ministers in the outgoing cabinet who contested the polls, all but one won. The lone unsuccessful minister, Sumit Kumar Singh, elected Independent in 2020 and later inducted into the cabinet, failed to retain his seat after contesting on a JDU ticket.

 

The historic Gandhi Maidan, the venue for the swearing-in ceremony, has been closed to the public until November 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other top NDA leaders is set to attend the ceremony.

 

The newly elected legislators of the BJP and JDU will meet on Tuesday to elect their respective legislature party leaders.

 

As for the Opposition, newly elected Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) members met on Monday and named Tejashwi Yadav as the legislature party leader. The RJD won 25 out of the 143 seats it contested in the Assembly elections, down from 75 it had won in 2020. Party President Lalu Prasad and senior leaders such as Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, and Jagdanand Singh were present at the meeting.