Nitish Kumar elected leader of NDA, to take oath as Bihar CM on Nov 20; PM Modi to attend oath taking ceremony
Nitish Kumar will first be chosen as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party when its members meet at the state office at 11 am, senior leaders said.
PTC News Desk: Nitish Kumar's resignation has formally materialised the process for his swearing-in for an unprecedented 10th term after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept the state assembly polls.
Nitish Kumar will first be chosen as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party when its members meet at the state office at 11 am, senior leaders said.
Later, at 3:30 pm, MLAs from all five NDA partners will gather in the Central Hall of the Bihar Assembly to officially elect him as the alliance leader. The NDA won big in Bihar last week, securing 202 of the 243 seats. The BJP became the largest party with 89 seats, followed by JD(U) with 85. Smaller allies — Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) with 19 seats, HAM with five, and RLM with four — strengthened the alliance’s strong majority.
GRAND OATH CEREMONY
Nitish Kumar is set to take oath as chief minister on Thursday morning, officials said. Several ministers will also be sworn in at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Preparations are underway at the historic venue, which has heavy security in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other Union ministers, and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states are also expected to attend.
The presence of top national leaders shows that the NDA wants to present its Bihar win as a major political endorsement.
ALLIES CLASH OVER CABINET POSTS
With the swearing-in approaching, behind-the-scenes talks over cabinet positions have intensified and faced “last-minute hurdles,” according to sources.
The biggest point of conflict is the Home Ministry, which Nitish Kumar has traditionally held. JD(U) leaders say the party will not give up control of this important department, while the BJP is demanding a bigger role in key ministries after emerging as the largest party.
There is also disagreement over the Speaker’s post. Both JD(U) and BJP want the position, with the BJP wanting to keep it. In the outgoing assembly, BJP’s Nand Kishore Yadav was Speaker and JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav was Deputy Speaker.
According to PTI, JD(U) is likely to keep most of its current ministers, while the BJP may bring in new leaders. The enlarged cabinet may include five to six new ministers from both parties.