Nitish Kumar to Take Oath for 10th Time as NDA Seals Cabinet Blueprint, Sources

Sources confirm Nitish Kumar's unyielding hold on Bihar's Chief Ministership, with the cabinet blueprint sealed during a high-stakes Delhi summit involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The NDA coalition, riding a landslide victory, accelerates toward government formation, targeting a swearing-in ceremony within three days. This pivotal resolution quells internal murmurs, positioning Kumar for a historic tenth oath-taking as the alliance consolidates its mandate from the recent elections.

The NDA's triumph reshapes Bihar's political landscape, with the BJP clinching 89 seats as the dominant force, closely trailed by JD(U)'s 85. Smaller partners, including LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM, amplified the coalition's sweep, surpassing 2020 benchmarks. Momentum builds today with the Election Commission's notification for the 18th Bihar Legislative Assembly, briefing Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on final tallies. The Model Code of Conduct lifts post-briefing, unleashing unbridled preparations for the new regime.

Nitish Kumar convenes a cabinet session tomorrow to greenlight the 17th Assembly's dissolution, paving the way for his formal resignation to the Governor. This procedural cascade triggers legislature party conclaves among NDA factions, culminating in the unanimous election of the alliance leader. The stake for governance follows swiftly, underscoring the coalition's disciplined choreography to reclaim power in Patna.

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Swearing-in rituals unfold on November 19 or 20, contingent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diary, transforming Gandhi Maidan into a coliseum of NDA supremacy. Anticipated luminaries encompass PM Modi, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers from BJP bastions, and deputy counterparts, alongside alliance heavyweights. This orchestrated spectacle flexes the coalition's cohesion, priming a formidable offensive ahead of West Bengal's electoral battleground.

Cabinet allocations, hammered out in yesterday's Shah-led huddle, favor BJP with 15-16 berths, JD(U) securing 14, under a stringent 'one minister per six MLAs' calculus. Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) claims three slots, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP each net one. This equitable carve-up, overriding BJP's initial qualms on Kumar's leadership, fortifies the NDA's operational core for Bihar's forthcoming administrative overhaul.

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