(Image source from: x.com/Jduonline)
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is about to step down on Wednesday, starting the process for him to take the oath for a never-before-seen 10th term after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the assembly elections in the state. Nitish Kumar will first become the leader of the JD(U) legislature party, with members gathering at the state office at 11 am for this. Then, at 3:30 pm, legislators from all five NDA coalition partners will meet in the Central Hall of the Bihar Assembly to officially choose Nitish Kumar as their leader. The BJP's Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya are already present in Patna to oversee the election of the legislative party leader. After that, Nitish Kumar will go to Raj Bhavan to hand in his resignation as Chief Minister and give letters of support to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, claiming the right to form the new government. The outgoing Assembly will be dissolved afterward.
Last week, the NDA achieved a strong win in Bihar, obtaining 202 seats in the 243-seat Assembly. The BJP became the largest party with 89 seats, followed by the JD(U), which secured 85. Other smaller partners like Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) with 19 seats, HAM with five, and RLM with four seats helped strengthen the alliance's strong majority. Officials familiar with the preparations indicate that Nitish Kumar is set to take the oath as chief minister on Thursday morning. Several ministers will also be sworn in at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Arrangements for the oath-taking ceremony have started at this significant location, where tight security is organized in anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Other notable figures expected to attend include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, various Union ministers, and chief ministers from states run by the NDA. The involvement of these high-profile leaders indicates that the NDA wants to present the Bihar election result as a significant political endorsement.
As the day for swearing-in approaches, discussions behind the scenes regarding cabinet positions have become more urgent and faced some “last-minute complications,” according to sources. The biggest point of contention is the Home portfolio, which has traditionally been held by Nitish Kumar. Insiders from the JD(U) state that the party does not want to give up this important position, while the BJP is advocating for a bigger share of crucial ministries after being the largest party. There is also a conflict over the Speaker’s post, with both parties desiring the role, and the BJP is adamant about keeping it. Nand Kishore Yadav from the BJP was the Speaker in the outgoing assembly whereas JD(U)'s Narendra Narayan Yadav served as Deputy Speaker. JD(U) is likely to keep most of its current ministers, while the BJP could bring in new members, according to reports. The new cabinet could possibly include five to six additional members from both parties. The LJP (RV) might gain three cabinet roles, while HAM and RLM are expected to receive one each.
“Discussions are ongoing, and all outstanding issues will be resolved by this evening and communicated accordingly,” JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad informed news agency ANI on Wednesday.
