Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is scheduled to resign Wednesday, initiating the formal process for his unprecedented 10th term following the National Democratic Alliance’s decisive victory in state assembly elections.
Legislature Party Elections Scheduled
Nitish Kumar will first be elected leader of the JD(U) legislature party, with members convening at the state office at 11 AM. At 3:30 PM, MLAs from all five NDA partners will gather in the Bihar Assembly’s Central Hall to formally elect Kumar as alliance leader.
BJP’s Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya are already in Patna overseeing the legislative party leader election.
Kumar will subsequently visit Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation and present support letters to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, staking claim to form the new government before the outgoing Assembly is dissolved.
Commanding Electoral Mandate
The NDA secured 202 seats in the 243-member House. BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, followed by JD(U) with 85. Smaller allies—Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) with 19 seats, HAM with five, and RLM with four—consolidated the alliance’s commanding majority.
Grand Oath Ceremony Planned
Nitish Kumar is scheduled for swearing-in Thursday morning at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, alongside several ministers. Massive security deployment is underway ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several Union ministers, and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states are also expected.
The high-profile turnout signals the NDA’s intent to project Bihar’s mandate as major political endorsement.
Cabinet Portfolio Negotiations Hit Roadblocks
Back-channel negotiations over cabinet positions have intensified, encountering “last-minute roadblocks” according to sources.
The Home portfolio represents the biggest flashpoint. JD(U) insiders indicate the party is unwilling to relinquish this key position long held by Kumar, while BJP pushes for larger representation in key ministries after emerging as the single-largest party.
The Speaker’s post is similarly contested, with BJP insisting on retention. In the outgoing assembly, BJP’s Nand Kishore Yadav served as Speaker and JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav as Deputy Speaker.
JD(U) is expected to retain most current ministers, while BJP may introduce new faces. The expanded cabinet likely includes five to six new entrants from both parties. LJP (RV) may receive three cabinet positions, while HAM and RLM are likely allocated one each.
“Meetings are ongoing, and the remaining matters will be sorted out by the evening and briefed accordingly,” JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told ANI Wednesday.
