Patna: Bihar’s new government has officially taken shape as Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister for a record 10th time on Thursday. In the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Nitish Kumar. Several members of the newly formed cabinet also took oath during the ceremony.
The new cabinet largely retains senior and experienced faces, but also brings in new entrants such as Shreyasi Singh and Deepak Prakash, signaling a mix of continuity and fresh energy.
Two Deputy Chief Ministers in the New NDA Government
The BJP legislative party has chosen
Samrat Choudhary as its leader, and
Vijay Kumar Sinha as its deputy leader.
Both leaders were sworn in as ministers and will hold the rank of Deputy Chief Minister.
In addition to BJP and JDU, the cabinet also includes one representative each from LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM, and RLOMO, ensuring that NDA allies find a place in the small-but-balanced cabinet.
The ceremony was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and several other Union ministers. Chief Ministers of 20 states were also present at Gandhi Maidan for the grand event.
Nitish Kumar: ‘Bihar Will Witness Faster Development’
At Wednesday’s NDA legislative party meeting, BJP leader Samrat Choudhary proposed Nitish Kumar’s name for the post of Chief Minister, which received unanimous support.
Addressing the legislators, Nitish Kumar said:
“This government will work even harder for Bihar’s development. We are receiving full cooperation from the Centre.”
Claim to Form the Government Submitted to Governor
After being unanimously elected the NDA legislative party leader, Nitish Kumar met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at Raj Bhavan to formally stake claim to form the government. He also submitted his resignation from the previous term, which the Governor accepted while asking him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until the new cabinet was sworn in.
Leaders of all NDA constituents accompanied him during the meeting.
Earlier in the day, he was also elected the leader of the JDU legislative party.
Samrat Choudhary Becomes BJP Legislature Party Leader; Vijay Sinha Named Deputy Leader
At the BJP state headquarters, newly elected BJP MLAs chose:
Samrat Choudhary as the legislature party leader, and
Vijay Kumar Sinha as deputy leader.
The meeting was attended by UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who served as central observers.
Caste and Regional Balance in the New Cabinet
The new NDA government is expected to maintain a careful balance between caste groups and regional representation. According to party sources, detailed consultations were held between BJP strategists and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday evening.
Discussions reportedly included the selection of cabinet ministers, the Assembly Speaker, and power-sharing arrangements among allies.
