Staff Reporter / Patna
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar took oath of office and secrecy for the record ninth time as Chief Minister of Bihar. Eight other cabinet ministers also took oath at Rajbhavan with him. Governor Rajendra Vishwanat Arlekar administered oath of office and secrecy this evening to three BJP and three JD(U) leaders. Besides this, one member from Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and one Independent also took oath.
From the BJP, party’s state president Samrat Choudhary, former minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Prem Kumar have been inducted in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. On the other hand senior JD(U) leaders Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Shravan Kumar have got cabinet berths. Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son and HAM President Santosh Kumar Suman and one Independent have also been inducted as ministers.
After today’s swearing-in ceremony, the cabinet is expected to be expanded soon. BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Minister Nityanand Rai and several other leaders were present at the ceremony. Huge gathering of supporters from BJP, JD(U) and other allies were present outside the Rajbhavan.
After taking oath as Bihar chief minister for the record 9th time, Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that he has come back to where he was before and assured there is no question of going back.
Reacting to his former deputy Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks that JD(U) will be finished in 2024, Nitish said that the RJD leader was not doing anything.
“We work for the development and progress of Bihar. We will keep doing the same, nothing else. Tejashwi was not doing anything. Now I am back where I was before (in NDA) and now there is no question of going anywhere,” Kumar told reporters in Patna.
He said that eight leaders have taken oath as ministers today and more will be indicated soon.
“We will stay together. 8 leaders took oath as ministers today and the rest will be inducted soon. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha have been appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers…,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after taking oath as the new deputy CM of Bihar, BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said that the NDA will win all the 40 Lok Sabha seats and defeat Lalu Yadav’s family.
“We will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. In 2020 we won the elections and defeated Lalu Yadav’s family and will do the same in future also,” Choudhary said.
Pulling a big switcheroo, Nitish Kumar earlier today tendered his resignation as Bihar CM and severed ties with the RJD-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Bihar.
Kumar said that the alliance was not working well and therefore, he was suggested by party leaders to resign.