PATNA, Nov. 21 — JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Thursday took oath as Bihar’s Chief Minister for the tenth time, a record in the state’s political history. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath to Kumar and his 26-member cabinet at a grand ceremony at Gandhi Maidan.
The swearing-in was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Dharmendra Pradhan, who oversaw the party’s campaign during the recent assembly polls. “This is a splendid team of dedicated leaders, which will take Bihar to new heights,” Modi said on X, congratulating the newly sworn-in ministers.
Kumar had resigned on Wednesday before staking claim to form the new government. The ceremony attracted large crowds, and Modi entertained attendees with his signature gamchha twirl at the conclusion.
Chief ministers from other NDA-ruled states, including N Chandrababu Naidu, Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Delhi’s Rekha Gupta, also attended the event.
Among the ministers taking oath were Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both of whom served as deputy chief ministers in the previous NDA government. Other notable inductees included JD(U) national general secretary Ashok Choudhary, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Santosh Kumar Suman.
Shreyasi Singh, an award-winning shooter and second-term MLA from Jamui, and Rama Nishad, BJP newcomer from Aurai, were among the new faces in the cabinet. JD(U) MLA Bijendra Prasad Yadav, serving his ninth term, was also included.
The cabinet does not include representatives from Chirag Paswan’s LJPRV or Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM. In the previous government, BJP held 15 ministerial posts, JD(U) 12 including Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) had one, and one Independent member served as minister.
