Nitish Kumar oath ceremony: Following the NDA’s decisive victory in the Bihar assembly elections, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar is scheduled to take oath as chief minister for the 10th time on Thursday, November 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top leaders of the NDA are expected to attend the ceremony, a senior party leader told TOI.
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“The swearing-in ceremony will be organised at the sprawling Gandhi Maidan. Many top NDA leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, other central ministers Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and the chief ministers of other NDA-ruled states, will attend the grand event,” a senior BJP leader was quoted as saying by TOI.
NDA’s Landslide Victory Highlights Strong Public Support
The NDA’s main constituents, BJP and JD(U), recorded impressive results, winning nearly 85 per cent of the seats they contested. BJP secured 89 seats, an increase from its 2020 tally of 74, while JD(U) won 85 seats, almost doubling its previous count of 43. The Mahagathbandhan managed just 34 seats, with RJD winning 25 and Congress six.
To accommodate the grand event, Patna administration has started preparations at Gandhi Maidan.
“The Gandhi Maidan will remain closed to the general public from Nov 17 to 20. There will be a complete ban on the entry of common people into the Gandhi Maidan during this period,” the Patna district administration said. “The Maidan has been closed for four days to make preparations for the upcoming swearing-in ceremony of the new government,” a senior official added.
Cabinet Seats for NDA Allies Decided
Sources said the distribution of cabinet berths among NDA partners has been finalised. Along with BJP and JD(U), smaller allies — LJP(RV), HAM-S, and RLM — are expected to join the government.
“The LJP(RV) is likely to get three berths in the new state cabinet while the HAM-S and RLM one berth each. A maximum of 16 ministers from the BJP and 14 ministers and the chief minister from JD(U) will take oath on Thursday,” a senior BJP leader told TOI. RLM president Upendra Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata, who won from Sasaram, may also get a cabinet berth.
The outgoing cabinet will hold its final meeting on Monday at 11:30 am, chaired by Nitish Kumar, to recommend the dissolution of the current assembly. After the meeting, Nitish will submit his resignation to the governor and attend a JD(U) legislators’ meeting to be formally elected as the party’s legislature leader.
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BJP Prepares for Joint NDA Legislators’ Meeting
The BJP has called a meeting of its newly elected legislators in Patna on Tuesday, followed by a joint meeting of all NDA legislators. Nitish Kumar will be elected leader of the NDA legislature party in the presence of senior BJP leaders before visiting Raj Bhawan with NDA allies to stake claim to form the new government. |
