Nitish Kumar becomes Bihar chief minister for a record 10th term
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were among the top dignitaries present at the event
Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for a record 10th time on Thursday (20 November).
The oath-taking ceremony, held at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, drew thousands of enthusiastic supporters who waved gamchas, scarves, placards, and portraits of Nitish and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the event.
Nitish took oath in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, with Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administering the oath. A total of 25 MLAs were sworn in as ministers.
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Former deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, who served in the outgoing government, were reappointed to the same positions. Samrat Choudhary was recently elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party, while Sinha was chosen as deputy leader.
From the Janata Dal (United), senior leaders Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Shrawan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Leshi Singh, Madan Sahani, Sunil Kumar, and Mohammad Zama Khan took oath as ministers.
BJP leaders Dilip Jaiswal, Mangal Pandey, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Rama Nishad, Arun Shankar Prasad, Ramkripal Yadav, Nitin Naveen, and Surendra Prasad Mehta were also sworn in.
Santosh Suman took oath from Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).
The NDA has initially decided on a formula of one minister for every six MLAs, with the possibility of expanding the cabinet later.
The ceremony was attended by top national leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda, and the Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all NDA-ruled states. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi were also present.
Prime Minister Modi added to the festive atmosphere by waving a traditional Bihari gamcha toward the cheering crowd, a gesture that sparked loud applause across Gandhi Maidan.
Supporters responded by waving their own gamchas, echoing a similar moment from 14 November when Modi celebrated the NDA's victory at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
In the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA secured 202 seats, well above the 122-seat majority mark. The JD(U) made significant gains, winning 85 seats, almost matching the BJP's 89 seats.
