PATNA: The process to form the new government in Bihar will begin on Monday, paving the way for Nitish Kumar to become the Chief Minister for a record tenth time.
Following the state cabinet meeting, CM Nitish Kumar will proceed to Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation to the Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. He will then come back to his residence where a meeting of the NDA legislative party will be held.
After being elected as the legislative party leader, Nitish will return to the Raj Bhavan and stake his claim to form the government. The state cabinet will decide on dissolving the current Assembly. Prior to this, a unanimous vote of thanks will be expressed to Nitish.
A proposal is being considered to hold the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government, which came to power with a landslide majority, at Gandhi Maidan instead of Raj Bhavan. Nitish had previously taken oath as CM at Gandhi Maidan twice.
Winding up his election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that he would be back in the state to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar. “The swearing-in ceremony will be decided depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schedule,” a senior BJP leader told this reporter on Saturday.
A day after the NDA registered a landslide victory in the Bihar assembly election, the alliance has started holding discussions for the formation of the new government. Meanwhile, Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan visited the chief minister’s residence in Patna to hold discussions on government formation.
He told media persons, “I met the chief minister in the morning. A delegation of LJP (RV) met the CM. We congratulated him on the manner in which the NDA fought the election under his leadership. I had congratulated him over phone yesterday (Friday) itself. But I formally met him today (Saturday) and we not only congratulated him but also discussed the bleuprint of the government of the alliance, to be formed in the days to come."
Earlier in the day, JD (U) working president Sanjay Jha arrived at the Chief Minister’s residence with the list of newly elected legislators, indicating the beginning of formal procedural steps toward government formation. Soon after that, BJP MLA Nitin Nabin also met Nitish Kumar. When asked by reporters about the purpose of his visit, he said he had come to “seek blessings.”
Throughout the day, several senior JDU leaders—including Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Vijay Chaudhary, and Shyam Rajak—also met Nitish. After his meeting, Rajak said, “There is no other face for the Bihar chief minister’s post except Nitish Kumar. The NDA is completely united.”
Deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary also met Nitish at his residence and thanked him for the NDA’s landslide victory in the assembly election.