Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as Bihar’s Chief Minister for a record 10th time on Thursday.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, a venue steeped in political history. Gandhi Maidan has hosted Kumar’s swearing-ins in 2005, 2010, and 2015, and is also remembered for Jayaprakash Narayan’s historic 1974 call for a “total revolution.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several other senior NDA leaders are expected to attend the ceremony. Chief Ministers from various NDA-ruled states are also likely to be present.
On Wednesday, Kumar was unanimously elected leader of both the JD(U) Legislature Party and the NDA Legislature Party during meetings with newly elected MLAs. The selections paved the way for the formation of the new NDA government under his leadership.
In parallel, the BJP elected Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the leader and deputy leader of its Legislature Party, respectively. The proposals were moved by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the central observer for the process, and endorsed by all MLAs.
The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections were widely viewed as a decisive test for the 74-year-old Kumar, who has shaped the state’s political landscape for over 20 years. He has served as Chief Minister since November 2005, except for a brief nine-month period in 2014–15.
Kumar staked claim to form the government after the NDA delivered a landslide victory, winning 202 of 243 seats. This is only the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-seat mark, after securing 206 seats in 2010. He met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday to resign and initiate the formation of the new government.
Among NDA constituents, the BJP won 89 seats, the JD(U) 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) 19, HAM(S) 5, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha 4.
On the opposition side, the RJD secured 25 seats, the Congress 6, CPI(ML)L 2, the Indian Inclusive Party 1, and CPI(M) 1. The AIMIM won 5 seats, while the BSP bagged 1.
The elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and saw a record turnout of 67.13%, the highest since 1951. Women voters once again outpaced men, with participation at 71.6% compared to 62.8% among male voters.
(With inputs from ANI)