Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigned on Wednesday and is set to return to office again on Thursday, when he will be sworn in for a record 10th time. His resignation came shortly after he was unanimously chosen as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar.
Earlier in the day, the BJP elected Samrat Chaudhary as the leader of its legislative party and Vijay Kumar Sinha as his deputy—both will continue as Deputy Chief Ministers in the new government.
In the NDA meeting, BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary proposed Nitish Kumar’s name as the alliance’s leader. After the meeting, Nitish went to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation and present letters of support from NDA partners to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, formally staking claim to form the next government.
Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) called the victory a strong mandate from the people and said Nitish would lead the alliance. Other leaders, including Upendra Kushwaha, credited women voters and the combined effort of all NDA partners for the win.
HAM chief Jiten Ram Manjhi praised Nitish Kumar’s long political career, noting that he has remained in office for two decades without major public backlash.
The NDA won 202 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, while the JD(U) won 85. Smaller partners—LJP (RV), HAM and RLM—added to the alliance’s comfortable majority.
Nitish Kumar will take oath as Chief Minister on Thursday morning at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Several ministers will also take oath. The venue is being prepared with heavy security arrangements as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other top leaders are expected to attend.
Even as preparations for the oath ceremony continue, discussions within the NDA on cabinet positions are still underway. The Home Department has become a major point of disagreement. JD(U) leaders say the department should remain with Nitish Kumar, while the BJP is seeking more key ministries after becoming the largest party.
Both parties also want the Speaker’s post. In the previous Assembly, the Speaker was from the BJP and the Deputy Speaker from the JD(U).
Reports indicate that JD(U) may keep most of its current ministers, while the BJP could bring in several new faces. Smaller allies are also likely to receive cabinet berths—three for LJP (RV) and one each for HAM and RLM.
JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said the remaining issues would be resolved soon