Patna: JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday took oath as the chief minister of Bihar for a record ninth time.
He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan here.
Along with Kumar, BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary took oath as ministers in the new government.
BJP leader Dr Prem Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) president Dr Santosh Kumar Suman and Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh also took oath as cabinet ministers.
Kumar had earlier in the day resigned as the chief minister, saying “things were not working well” for him in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and in the opposition bloc INDIA, and staked claim to form a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nitish Kumar for taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar. He also congratulated Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha for taking oath as the deputy chief ministers.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfill the aspirations of its people.”
“I am confident that this team will serve my family members of the state with full dedication,” he added.
The BJP had a quick huddle with its MLAs and MLCs soon after the JD(U) veteran’s resignation, and later offered its letter of support to Nitish Kumar.
Speaking to reporters after handing over his resignation, Nitish Kumar said that he also asked the Governor to dissolve the Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar.
The JD(U) leader said that the situation in the Mahagathbandhan alliance, comprising Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress along with three Left parties, was not “alright” and had become such that he had to quit.
“I have not been commenting about anything for long now because things were not right (in the Mahagathbandhan alliance). I was getting opinions and suggestions from everyone, including my party workers. I listened to all of them and resigned today, and ended the current government.
