Patna (Bihar) [India], November 20 (HBTV): Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the 10th time on Thursday.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, which hosted his inaugurations in 2005, 2010 and 2015. It was at this venue that Jayaprakash Narayan called for total revolution during a speech in 1974.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior NDA leaders are expected to attend the ceremony. The Prime Minister had skipped the oath-taking ceremony in 2020. Several Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states are also likely to be present.
Nitish Kumar was elected leader of the JD(U) Legislature Party during a meeting with newly elected MLAs at his official residence in Patna yesterday. He was also unanimously chosen as leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Legislature Party ahead of the formation of a new government under his leadership.
Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected leader and deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party, respectively, during a meeting at the BJP state headquarters. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, appointed as the central observer for the Legislature Party election, proposed their names, which were supported by all MLAs present.
The 2025 Bihar Assembly polls were seen as a major test for Nitish Kumar, who has shaped the state's political landscape for two decades. The 74-year-old leader has served as Chief Minister since November 2005, with a brief nine-month break in 2014–15.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Patna last evening and was welcomed at the airport by BJP National President JP Nadda, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal and other party leaders.
Nitish Kumar staked claim to form the new government after the NDA secured 202 of the 243 assembly seats. On Tuesday, he met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and submitted his resignation as the outgoing Chief Minister.
The NDA registered a sweeping victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, winning 202 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan managed 35. This marks the second time the alliance crossed the 200-seat mark, having secured 206 seats in 2010.
Within the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 89 seats, the Janata Dal (United) 85, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 19, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) five and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha four.
Among the opposition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal won 25 seats, the Indian National Congress six, the CPI(ML)(L) two, the Indian Inclusive Party one and the CPI(M) one. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen secured five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party won one.
The elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11. Bihar recorded a voter turnout of 67.13 per cent, the highest since 1951, with women voters participating in larger numbers than men (71.6 per cent vs 62.8 per cent).
(ANI)