Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar CM for Record 9th Time, 8 New Ministers Also Sworn In
Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar has been sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for a record-breaking ninth time. Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office to Kumar at Raj Bhavan. This development comes after Kumar resigned earlier in the day, citing his dissatisfaction with the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and opposition bloc INDIA. Kumar went on to form a new government with the BJP, with whom he had previously severed ties less than 18 months ago.
The newly formed NDA government also saw the induction of eight new ministers. Among them, three ministers each hail from the BJP and JD(U), one minister is from Hindustani Awam Morcha, and one is an independent MLA. Speculations are rife that Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both BJP leaders, will be appointed as deputy CMs in the new cabinet, replacing RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav.
As Nitish Kumar embarks on his ninth tenure as Bihar’s chief minister, it remains to be seen how the new government will navigate the challenges facing the state.
(With inputs from agencies)