Nitish Kumar elected JD (U) legislative party leader, set to be sworn in as Bihar CM for record 10th time

Nitish Kumar was elected Janata Dal (United) legislative party leader on Wednesday. Kumar is all set to be elected as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance later in the day.

This will pave the way for Kumar to take oath as Bihar CM for a record 10th time. Kumar is expected to tender his resignation to Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan as head of the outgoing government later today.

Kumar, 74, is expected to be sworn in along with at least 20 ministers of his cabinet in Patna on 20 November. The oath-taking will take place in Patna's iconic Gandhi Maidan at 11.30 AM.

Samrat elected BJP legislature party leader

Samrat Choudhary, the outgoing deputy chief minister, has also been named BJP legislature party leader in Bihar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several other Union ministers and CMs of NDA-ruled states are expected to attend the ceremony.

The NDA coalition of the JD (U) and the BJP bagged more than 200 seats in the 243-member House in the recent Bihar Assembly Elections. The BJP won 9 seats, followed by the JD(U)’s tally of 85 in the elections, the result of which was announced on 14 November.

Lobbying underway for Speaker's Post

Intense lobbying is still ongoing among NDA partners to finalise the allocation of cabinet berths and reach a consensus on the post of Assembly Speaker ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new Bihar government.

Sources told news agency PTI on Tuesday said efforts are underway to evolve a consensus among NDA partners over the post of Assembly Speaker, as both the BJP and the JD(U) are staking their claims to the post.

In the outgoing Assembly, BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav served as Speaker, while JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav held the position of Deputy Speaker.

‘20 Ministers to take oath with Kumar’

As many as 20 ministers are likely to take oath with the CM, around 6-7 ministers each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the JD(U), according to a report in The Indian Express. There will also be two ministers from the LJP (RV) and one each from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) who will take oath along with Kumar on Thursday, according to reports.

The maximum number of cabinet berths is constitutionally capped at 15% of an assembly’s strength. Bihar, which has 243 assembly seats, can have up to 36 ministers, including the chief minister. Other ministers beyond 20 may take the oath at a later time.

(With agency inputs)