A Political Journey Marked In History: Nitish Kumar Prepares For His 10th Oath Ceremony

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to take oath for a record ninth term as chief minister on November 20, 2025, at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna, marking the fourth time the venue will host his swearing-in ceremony and underscoring its role as a symbolic stage for the state's political milestones. The event, his 10th overall oath since entering the chief ministerial office in 2000, will be administered by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, the eighth governor to swear him in over 25 years. Dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, and chief ministers from NDA-ruled states are expected to attend, making it the grandest such gathering yet and a show of strength for the BJP-JD(U) alliance following their victory in the 2025 assembly elections.

Gandhi Maidan, a pre-Independence-era landmark that has hosted massive rallies from Mahatma Gandhi's freedom struggle to modern political spectacles, has become synonymous with Nitish's post-poll ceremonies since 2005—except for the low-key 2020 event at Raj Bhawan amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2015 swearing-in, after the JD(U)-RJD-Congress Grand Alliance's triumph, saw Governor Ram Nath Kovind (later India's President) officiate as Nitish took oath alongside RJD's Tejashwi Yadav as deputy chief minister. Attendees included Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and Sitaram Yechury, highlighting the alliance's broad opposition appeal before its 2017 collapse.

Previous ceremonies at the maidan reflect Nitish's political rollercoaster: In 2005, Governor Buta Singh administered the oath after the NDA's ouster of Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD regime, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, and Sushil Kumar Modi (Nitish's long-time deputy) in attendance. The 2010 event, post the NDA's landslide 206-seat win, featured Governor Devanand Konwar swearing in Nitish and Modi amid a star-studded BJP lineup including Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj. These open-air affairs, drawing lakhs of supporters, serve dual purposes—political consolidation and public engagement—contrasting the restricted access at Raj Bhawan.

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Nitish's tenure, the longest in Bihar's history, spanning over two decades, has seen him navigate eight governors, from V.C. Pande's brief 2000 stint (when his seven-day government fell) to Keshari Nath Tripathi and Fagu Chauhan administering oaths twice each amid post-2015 flip-flops. He has partnered with six deputies—five from BJP and one from RJD—demonstrating his pragmatic realignments. The 2020 pandemic-constrained ceremony, boycotted by the Grand Alliance, saw Fagu Chauhan swear him in with Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda present, before Nitish's dramatic 2022 return to the NDA fold.

Former Bihar Chief Secretary V.S. Dubey noted that while the Constitution mandates only gubernatorial administration—typically at Raj Bhawan—Gandhi Maidan's use since Lalu Prasad Yadav's 1990 oath there amplifies visibility and "show of strength". "It becomes a memory for the people," Dubey said, adding that no other Chief Minister has matched this tradition. The maidan has also hosted Lalu's 1990 ceremony under Governor Mohammed Yunus Saleem, cementing its legacy for transformative political oaths.

As preparations ramp up with enhanced security and cultural performances, the November 20 event signals stability for the NDA government amid Bihar's developmental challenges like infrastructure and unemployment. With Nitish at 74, speculation swirls on his succession, but the ceremony reaffirms his enduring grip on the state's politics, blending tradition with spectacle at the heart of Patna's historic ground.

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