Nitish Kumar has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a remarkable ninth term, alongside BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Sinha, Samrat Choudhary, and Prem Kumar, who also took their oaths as Ministers in the new government. The oath-taking ceremony was conducted by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.
Additional members who took the oath include JD(U) members Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Vijendra Yadav, and Shrawan Kumar, along with Santosh Kumar Suman from Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustan Awam Morcha and independent legislator Sumit Singh. The composition of the Council of Ministers is expected to be finalized within the next day or two, according to sources.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Kumar resigned as Chief Minister, citing dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Mahagathbandhan and the opposition bloc INDIA. Subsequently, he staked his claim to form a new government with the BJP, with whom he had severed ties less than 18 months ago. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by BJP president J.P. Nadda and other senior party leaders.
RJD, Mr. Kumar’s former ally in the Mahagathbandhan, boycotted the event, while the Congress, another former ally, remained absent.
Nitish Kumar initially assumed office as Bihar’s Chief Minister in 2000, but his government collapsed within a week. He resigned in May 2014, only to return eight months later, displacing his protege Jitan Ram Manjhi as CM in November 2015, following the coalition’s victory in the Assembly elections. In 2017, he stepped down again, subsequently forming a new government with the BJP. Following the 2020 assembly polls, in which the NDA emerged victorious but JD(U) performed poorly, he resumed office as CM. The Bihar Assembly comprises 243 members.
