Bihar Braces for Nitish Kumar's Oath Ceremony as NDA Seeks to Finalize Portfolios

Image Source: Internet

Patna, Bihar: Ahead of Nitish Kumar's oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is racing against time to finalize key portfolios and the position of speaker in the Bihar assembly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and several central ministers are expected to attend the ceremony, which marks Kumar's fifth consecutive term as chief minister. The NDA stormed to power in the recently concluded assembly polls, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly. The BJP bagged 89 seats, while the JD(U) secured 85. Ahead of the oath ceremony, both parties have maintained silence on the issue of cabinet berths. A three-hour meeting chaired by Shah in Delhi on Tuesday was attended by senior leaders of both parties, including BJP chief JP Nadda and JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha. The issue of portfolio distribution was discussed at the meeting, with the BJP and JD(U) eyeing the home ministry and education department, respectively. The post of Speaker is also a point of contention, with Prem Kumar of the BJP and Vijay Chowdhary of the JD(U) emerging as frontrunners. The NDA is considering allocating roughly one ministerial post for every six MLAs to ensure balanced representation within the alliance. One slot each will likely go to the RLM and HAM(S), three to the LJP(RV), and the remaining 30–31 will be divided between the BJP and the JD(U). As the NDA prepares to form the new government, Kumar is set to submit his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as head of the outgoing government. The broad structure of the new government has been decided according to the number of legislators each constituent has won. Everything will be known at the appropriate time, with consultations ongoing and preparations in full swing for the swearing-in ceremony.