Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected as leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislature party in Bihar during a meeting of newly elected MLAs of the alliance partners on Wednesday.
He will take oath as the chief minister for a record 10th time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan on Thursday.
Soon after his election as leader of the NDA in Bihar, Kumar, along with other senior leaders of the alliance partners, headed to Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, to tender his resignation as the head of the outgoing NDA government.
He was accompanied by Union minister Chirag Paswan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha and Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya when he went to meet the governor.
Other ministers, including Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’, Dharmendra Pradhan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, UP’s Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya were also with them.
“Nitish Kumar has been elected as leader of JD(U) legislature party. It will be followed by his election as leader of NDA legislature party,” JD(U) MLA Ajeet Kumar said.
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The JD(U) supremo will also submit a letter of support from all NDA constituents to the governor to stake claim to form the new government.
The proposal for the leader of NDA was moved by JD(U)’s Vijay Choudhary and seconded by BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. MLAs of the LJP(RV), HAM and RLM also seconded the proposal, JD(U) minister, Shrawon Kumar said.
In its legislature party meeting on Wednesday, the BJP elected Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha as leader and deputy leader of the party.
“I thank the party leadership and all MLAs who have again given me a chance to lead the party. The BJP has expressed its faith in the BJP and the party will try to meet their expectations,” Choudhary told reporters.
Sources say around 18–20 MLAs are expected to take oath as ministers in the new government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states being in attendance.
The NDA returned to power in Bihar, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly, with BJP bagging 89, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5 and RLM 4.
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