Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for 9th time
Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar chief minister for a record ninth time at Raj Bhavan in Patna on Sunday. Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were also sworn in as cabinet ministers. Kumar resigned as the CM earlier on Sunday, ending his 18-month alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. Later, he staked a claim to form the new government with the backing of the BJP.
Why does this story matter?
This is the fourth time in 11 years that Kumar has switched sides. Kumar, nicknamed "Paltu Ram" for his slippery nature, has oscillated between alliances with the BJP and the RJD since 2013. In Bihar, the RJD, the BJP, and the Janata Dal-United (JDU) are the three major parties, and when two parties come together before an election, their chances of winning are high. Kumar's defection left his former Mahagathbandhan alliance short of six MLAs to form the government.
Chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai,' 'Jai Shree Ram'
Kumar took the oath in the presence of BJP President JP Nadda, Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan amid chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai and Jai Shree Ram. Besides, two cabinet ministers and six other ministers also took oath on Sunday. Dr. Prem Kumar (BJP), Vijendra Yadav (JDU), Vijay Chaudhary (JDU), Shravan Kumar (JDU), Santosh Suman (HAM), and Sumit Singh (Independent) were among the leaders who were sworn in.
Oath-taking ceremony at Raj Bhavan
2024 will mark JD(U)'s end: Tejashwi Yadav
Meanwhile, Kumar's former deputy, Tejashwi Yadav, said 2024 will mark the JD(U)'s end, adding that the Bihar game is far from over. "I can tell you...that the JD(U) party will be finished in 2024. The public is with us," he told the press earlier. His sister Rohini Acharya, on the other hand, drew flak on social media for comments she made on Kumar's exit. "Garbage goes back into the dustbin. Happy stinking garbage to the group," she wrote on X.
He ended 17-year alliance with NDA in 2013
Throughout his four-decade political career, Kumar has faced accusations of "opportunism" and frequently changing partners. In 2013, he ended a 17-year alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after then-Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was announced as BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Kumar later formed the grand alliance with RJD and Congress in 2015 but left it in 2017, citing corruption. In 2022, he broke ties with BJP again, alleging conspiracy against him and attempts to influence JD(U) MLAs to rebel.
NDA government in Bihar will leave no stone unturned: PM
What numbers in Bihar assembly look like now
The Bihar Assembly has 243 members, and a political party needs 122 (half) to form the government. Currently, the BJP has 78 MLAs, the JD(U) has 45, and HAM has four MLAs; they together have 127. In the opposition camp, the RJD has 79 MLAs, the Congress has 19, and three Left parties have 16. An independent candidate is also backing the opposition. This takes the total number to 116, six seats shy of being able to form the government.
