Patna: Nitish Kumar, the leader of the Janata Dal (United), announced on Thursday that he will take an oath at the famed Gandhi Maidan in Patna, promising that “Bihar will embark on a new journey of development.” “I, Nitish Kumar, swear by God,” Kumar wrote in a post on X. This statement represents the steadfast trust and self-assurance of millions of Biharis. This voice will resound today from Patna’s ancient Gandhi Maidan, marking the start of Bihar’s next phase of prosperity. He wished all Biharis a very happy occasion and offered his sincere congratulations. “Sincere congratulations and best wishes to all Biharis on this historic oath-taking occasion,” the message said. The JD(U) said in a post on X earlier in the day that “history is about to be made in Bihar” today and that it would be a “pride for all Biharis.” As Nitish Kumar takes the oath of office once more, the party declared that Bihar will write “another new chapter of development.”
Senior NDA leaders, party employees, and residents are expected to attend the oath-taking event in the center of Patna, which will signal the start of the government’s renewed emphasis on development and governance. Nayab Singh Saini, the chief minister of Haryana, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, and Neiphiu Rio, the chief minister of Nagaland, were among the leaders who were observed arriving at the Patna airport to attend the event. Today, Nitish Kumar will take the oath of office as Bihar’s chief minister for an unprecedented tenth time in the Gandhi Maidan, the site of his swearing-ins in 2005, 2010, and 2015. The location is also well-known for Jayaprakash Narayan’s historic appeal for a “total revolution” in 1974. Prominent NDA heavyweights, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are anticipated to attend the event. In 2020, the PM did not attend the swearing-in event.
It is also anticipated that chief ministers from several NDA-ruled states will attend. Yesterday, at a gathering with newly elected MLAs at his home, Nitish Kumar was chosen as the JD(U) Legislature Party’s first leader. Prior to the creation of the government, he was also unanimously selected as the head of the NDA Legislature Party. At a meeting at the BJP state headquarters, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were chosen as the BJP Legislature Party’s leader and deputy leader, respectively.
As a central observer, Keshav Prasad Maurya, the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, suggested their names. For Nitish Kumar, who has dominated Bihar politics for more than 20 years, the 2025 Bihar Assembly election was seen as a litmus test. With a brief hiatus in 2014–15, the 74-year-old has served as Chief Minister since 2005.
BJP National President JP Nadda, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, and other leaders greeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah upon his arrival in Patna Friday night. After the NDA won 202 assembly seats, the JD(U) supremo declared his intention to form the government. On Wednesday, he visited with Arif Mohammad Khan, the governor of Bihar, and tendered his resignation before taking back his position as chief minister.
With 202 of 243 seats, the NDA won a historic landslide victory, while the Mahagathbandhan only managed to get 35. The NDA has now surpassed 200 seats twice; the first time was in 2010 with 206 MPs. The BJP gained 89 seats inside the NDA, followed by JD(U) with 85, LJPRV with 19, HAMS with five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha with four. The opposition parties that won seats were the RJD (25), Congress (6), CPI(ML)(L) (2), IIP (1), and CPI(M). Five seats were won by AIMIM and one by BSP. The elections, which took place in two stages on November 6 and 11, witnessed a record 67.13 percent voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with more women than males casting ballots (71.6 percent vs. 62.8 percent).
