Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM for record 10th time

Bihar's longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Thursday (November 20) sworn in for a record 10th term at a grand ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CMs of several NDA-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 BJP national president JP Nadda, both of whom had arrived in Patna on Wednesday night.

Union minister and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan said the induction of two MLAs from his party into the new council of ministers in Bihar marks a "major victory" that his late father Ram Vilas Paswan had long envisioned.

None of the inductees were from Union minister Chirag Paswan's LJPRV and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha's RLM, which won 19 and four seats, respectively.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda and several other top leaders of NDA, besides the chief ministers of several NDA ruled states.

Along with 74-year-old Kumar, 26 ministers took the oath of office: 14 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 8 from Janata Dal (United), 2 from Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas), and 1 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 were elected as the BJP's leader and deputy leader, respectively, following the polls, which were swept by the NDA, which won 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.

The portfolios to the ministers were not immediately allocated.

BJP, the single largest party, has 14 ministers

With a tally of 89 out of 243 seats, the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, had the lion's share of 14 ministers in the new cabinet.

Besides Choudhary and Sinha, other BJP leaders who took the oath included Mangal Pandey, Nitin Nabin, and Surendra Prasad Mehta, all of whom were ministers in the previous government. State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, who had resigned from the cabinet nearly two years ago in keeping with the party's 'one person, one post' policy, was back in the council of ministers.

Another minister who is back after a break is Narayan Prasad. He had lost his post in 2022 when the chief minister abruptly quit the NDA. He was not re-inducted upon the JD(U) supremo's return to the BJP-led coalition last year.

The party has also brought in fresh faces like Shreyasi Singh, a professional shooter of international fame, who has been elected from Jamui for a second consecutive term. Other BJP leaders who will enjoy a ministerial berth for the first time are --Arun Shankar Prasad, Dr Pramod Kumar, Lakhendra Kumar Raushan, Sanjay Singh Tiger, and Rama Nishad.

Another notable inclusion is Ram Kripal Yadav, a former Union minister who lost the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat last year but was elected from Danapur in the assembly polls. From the JD(U) quota, all the inductees were ministers in the previous government, including Zama Khan, the lone Muslim MLA in the NDA.

Others who took oath, included Bijendra Yadav, Shrawon Kumar, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Leshi Singh and Madan Sahni, Sunil Kumar, and Ashok Choudhary.

The NDA also comprises smaller allies like LJPRV, HAM, and RLM, led by Union ministers Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, respectively. From HAM, Santosh Suman, Manjhi’s son and party president, was re-inducted.

LJPRV ministers include Sanjay Kumar Paswan of Bakhri, an associate of the late Ram Vilas Paswan, and Sanjay Kumar Singh, who defeated Tej Pratap Yadav in Mahua.

Although the RLM has won four seats, the MLAs, including Kushwaha's wife Snehlata, who won the Sasaram seat, the party is represented in the cabinet by the founding president's son, Deepak Prakash, who is not a member of either house of the state legislature. Besides the CM, Dilip Jaiswal, Dr Pramod Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, and Santosh Suman are members of the state legislative council.

Also read:

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Nitish returns to power leaning on Modi, the very man he once opposed

JD(U) would have been bundled up with 25 seats had it not given Rs 10,000 to women: Kishor

Prashant Kishor takes blame for Bihar election debacle, refuses to quit politics

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