Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar CM for Historic 10th Term, PM Modi Attends Ceremony

JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar on Thursday took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for a record 10th time, after leading the NDA to a sweeping victory in the 2025 Assembly polls.

The swearing-in ceremony at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several senior NDA leaders. Nitish, 74, was administered the oath along with BJP’s Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who returned as his two deputy chief ministers. Twenty-four other ministers also joined the cabinet, with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administering the oaths.

ELECTED AS NDA, JD(U) LEADER

A day before the ceremony, Nitish Kumar was unanimously chosen as the leader of both the JD(U) Legislature Party and the NDA Legislature Party at separate meetings in Patna, confirming the alliance’s decision to retain him as Chief Minister.

At a parallel meeting at the BJP office, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected leader and deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party. Their names were proposed by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the central observer for the leadership election.

NDA CRUISES TO 202-SEAT VICTORY

Nitish met the Governor on Wednesday to resign and immediately stake claim to form a new government after the NDA secured 202 of the 243 seats in the Assembly elections—the alliance’s best performance since 2010, when it won 206 seats. The Mahagathbandhan slumped to 35 seats.

The NDA’s seat share stood at:
BJP 89, JD(U) 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) 19, HAMS 5, Rashtriya Lok Morcha 4.

On the opposition side, the RJD won 25 seats, the Congress 6, CPI(ML)(L) 2, IIP 1, CPI(M) 1. The AIMIM bagged 5, and BSP 1 seat.

The elections, conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, saw a record turnout of 67.13%—the highest since 1951. Women outvoted men, registering 71.6% turnout compared to 62.8% among male voters.

ANOTHER TERM FOR NITISH

The mandate extends Nitish Kumar’s two-decade-long hold over Bihar politics. Except for a brief nine-month period in 2014–15, he has served continuously as Chief Minister since 2005. His 10th term further cements his position at the centre of the state’s political landscape.