Patna, Nov 20: Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Thursday sworn in for a record 10th term at a grand ceremony here, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CMs of several NDA-ruled states and senior alliance leaders.
Kumar was administered the oath of office at Gandhi Maidan, where the massive makeshift stage also seated Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, both of whom had arrived in Patna on Wednesday night.
“Congratulations to Shri Nitish Kumar Ji on taking oath as Bihar’s Chief Minister. He is an experienced administrator with a proven track record of good governance for many years. My best wishes to him for his tenure ahead,” Modi wrote on X.
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.
Besides Kumar, 26 ministers were sworn in on the occasion — 14 from the BJP, 8 from JDU, LJP(RV) 2, HAM 1 and RLM 1.
They 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.
Leaders of several NDA-ruled states, including TDP 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) had flown down to witness the ceremony.
With a tally of 89, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the Bihar assembly and, predictably, it had the lion’s share of 14 ministers in the newly sworn-in cabinet.
Besides Choudhary and Sinha, other BJP leaders who took 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 CM abruptly quit the NDA and 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, former Union minister who lost the Pataliputra 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. They include Zama Khan, the lone Muslim MLA in the NDA, which won 202 seats of the 243-strong assembly.
Other inductees included Bijendra Yadav, Shrawon Kumar, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Leshi Singh and Madan Sahni, Sunil Kumar and Ashok Choudhary.
The NDA also comprises smaller allies 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 founding president’s son Deepak Prakash, who is at present not a member of either house in the state legislature.
Besides the CM, Dilip Jaiswal, Dr Pramod Kumar, Ashok Choudhary and Santosh Suman are members of the state legislative council.
The number of ministers from the BJP is 14, while the JD(U)’s tally in the cabinet is eight.
The BJP has 14 ministers in the cabinet, JD(U) eight. Five ministers are Dalits — one each from BJP, LJPRV and HAM, and two from JD(U). Eight ministers belong to upper castes, including four Rajputs. Three Yadavs have also been accommodated.
The maximum number of ministers permissible for the state cabinet, including the CM, is 36. (Agencies)
