Bihar is witnessing a historic political moment as Nitish Kumar prepares to take the oath of office as Chief Minister for the tenth time today. The ceremony, scheduled for Thursday at Patna’s prominent Gandhi Maidan, marks a significant chapter for the NDA alliance after their decisive victory in the recent assembly polls.
The event is set to be a high-profile affair, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirming their attendance. The presence of chief ministers from various NDA-ruled states, such as Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Eknath Shinde of Maharashtra, and Mohan Charan Majhi of Odisha, underscores the national significance of the occasion.
NDA’s Dominant Mandate
Nitish Kumar, aged 74, has once again proven his formidable political acumen by steering the JD(U) and its NDA partners to an impressive electoral outcome, their second-best performance in Bihar. This success comes at a time when his political future was a subject of much discussion. Following the election mandate, Kumar was chosen as the leader of the NDA legislature party by the MLAs of the BJP, JDU, LJP(RV), HAM(S), and RLM. He then formally approached Governor Arif Mohammad Khan to stake his claim to form the government.
Key Cabinet Appointments Expected
The composition of the new cabinet, especially the deputy chief minister posts, is a major point of public interest. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, the outgoing deputy CMs, have been elected as the leader and deputy leader of the BJP legislature party, making their reappointment as deputy CMs highly probable. Mangal Pandey is another prominent BJP leader being considered for a deputy CM position.
Sources indicate a high likelihood of the re-appointment of several outgoing ministers. For the BJP, Nitin Nabin, Mangal Pandey, Nitish Mishra, and Sanjay Saraogi are among those expected to return to the cabinet. The JD(U) is anticipated to retain Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Lacy Singh, and Shravan Kumar. Ministerial roles are also slated for representatives from the three smaller coalition partners.