Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for record 9th time

Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar Chief Minister for the record ninth time on Sunday. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were among eight others who took oath as ministers in Nitish Kumar’s new Bihar Cabinet. These ministers are:

Follow Bihar politics LIVE Updates here

1. JD(U)’s Bijendra Prasad Yadav took oath as a cabinet minister

2. JD(U)’s Vijay Kumar Chaudhary took oath as a cabinet minister

3. JD(U)’s Shrawon Kumar took oath as a cabinet minister

4. BJP’s Vijay Sinha took oath as a cabinet minister

5. BJP’s Samrat Choudhary took oath as a cabinet minister

6. BJP’s Dr Prem Kumar took oath as a cabinet minister

7. Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular)’s Santosh Kumar Suman took oath as a minister

8. Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh took oath as a minister

Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were speculated to be the two Deputy Chief Ministers in new Bihar government.

ALSO READ: What numbers in Bihar Assembly look like after Nitish Kumar switches alliance

The oath ceremony of the new government took place at the Raj Bhavan in Patna, Bihar. BJP chief JP Nadda and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan were also present at the event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nitish Kumar, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha on taking oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar. “The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfil the aspirations of its people…,” PM Modi tweeted.

After the swearing-in ceremony, newly-elected Bihar minister Samrat Choudhary said, “Bihar’s development will be our priority. We are looking forward to winning 40 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.”

Nitish Kumar’s flip-flop

Nitish Kumar had resigned from the post of the Bihar Chief Minister earlier on Sunday. The Governor had then accepted the resignation and deputed him as the Acting chief minister. 

According to ANI, Kumar told the Governor during the meeting at Raj Bhavan that his party, the JD(U), decided to sever ties with the Mahagathbandhan in the state. In 2022, Nitish Kumar had formed the Bihar government in alliance with the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Left parties. The coalition was called ‘Mahagathbandhan’.

Now, Nitish Kumar decided to quit this Mahagathbandhan and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The decision came just ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2024. This move is expected to impact the Opposition INDIA bloc, of which Nitish Kumar was a key member.

Nitish Kumar told media persons, “Today, I have resigned as the Chief Minister and I have also told the Governor to dissolve the government in the state. This situation came because not everything was alright…I was getting views from everyone. I listened to all of them. Today, the Government has been dissolved…”

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Check all the latest action on Budget 2024 here.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

More
Less

Published: 28 Jan 2024, 05:05 PM IST