Nitish Kumar Set to Break Records as Bihar's 10th Chief Minister

Image Source: Internet

Bihar is on the cusp of a new era as Nitish Kumar prepares to take oath for the record 10th time as the state's Chief Minister on Thursday. Kumar, 75, was elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the coalition secured a resounding victory in the recent assembly polls, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly. The NDA's success was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which bagged 89 seats, followed by the Janata Dal (United) with 85 seats. The coalition also includes the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda arrived in Patna on Wednesday and held a meeting with NDA leaders to finalize the list of ministers and portfolios. The meeting also discussed the contentious issues of the Home and Education portfolios, as well as the position of Speaker. Kumar is set to be sworn in at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan at 11:30 am, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, Nadda, and other senior leaders. The Chief Minister is expected to be accompanied by his two deputies, Samrat Choudhury and Vijay Kumar Sinha. Preparations are underway at the venue, with traffic advisories issued by the administration to manage the expected large gathering. The number of ministers who will be sworn in with Nitish and his deputies is yet to be finalized, with a maximum of 36 ministers allowed in the Bihar cabinet. In a statement, Kumar expressed his commitment to the state's development, saying, "We have achieved a lot since 2006, and this time, we have to do even more. The Prime Minister and others have been supporting us, and we have received a lot of central help.