Picture : @NitishKumar/X
Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was sworn in for a record 10th term in Patna at a grand ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CMs of several National Democratic Alliance-ruled states, and senior alliance leaders.
Kumar was administered the oath of office by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at the Gandhi Maidan, where a massive makeshift stage was erected for the ceremony, also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, both of whom had arrived in Patna on Wednesday night.
Along with 74-year-old Kumar, 26 ministers took the oath of office: 14 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, eight from Janata Dal-United, two from Lok Jan Shakti Party-Ram Vilas, and one each from Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).
The ministers included Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both deputy CMs in the previous government, who have been elected as the BJP’s leader and deputy leader, respectively, following the polls that were swept by the NDA, which got 202 seats in the 243-member assembly.
Out of 26, five ministers in the new Nitish cabinet are Dalits — one each from BJP, LJPRV, and HAM, and two from JD-U.
Eight ministers belong to the upper castes, including four Rajputs. Three Yadavs have also been accommodated in the new cabinet, which is a mix of senior coalition leaders and new entrants, with the focus on caste and regional balance.
Modi, who had told voters during the campaign that he would ‘return for the swearing-in of an NDA government’, delighted the crowd when he lifted his trademark gamchha and swirled it above his head, a gesture that has become a signature of the 75-year-old leader.
The prime minister also posted on X: ‘Congratulations to Shri Samrat Chaudhary Ji and Shri Vijay Sinha Ji on becoming Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar. Both leaders have worked extensively at the grassroots in serving people. Best wishes to them.’
Leaders of several NDA-ruled states, including Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and BJP satraps Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), and Rekha Gupta (Delhi) attended the ceremony.
Reacting to the NDA win and the government , LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan quoted by PTI said , “It is a big day for my party. Two MLAs from my party will take the oath today. On this day, I remember my father, Ram Vilas Paswan. He would have been most happy today. Two MLAs from my party will take the oath today. We secured a big victory. We will work on war-footing to make Bihar a developed state and keep Bihar first and Biharis first.”
