Nitish elected as leader of NDA in Bihar, to take oath as CM today; PM Modi, Shah to attend swearing-in ceremony

PTI, PATNA, NOV 19, 2025: JD-U supremo Nitish Kumar was chosen leader of the NDA in Bihar during a meeting of newly elected MLAs of the alliance partners here on Wednesday, state minister Shrawon Kumar said. Nitish will take oath as Chief Minister for a record 10th time at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan on Thursday.

Soon after his election as leader of the NDA in Bihar, the JD-U leader, along with other senior leaders of the alliance partners, went to meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan to tender his resignation as the head of the outgoing government. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Union minister Chirag Paswan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, and Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya when he went to meet the Governor. Several Union Ministers, including Chirag Paswan, Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', Dharmendra Pradhan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, and UP’s Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, were also with them.

The proposal for the leader of NDA was moved by JD-U's Vijay Choudhary and seconded by BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. MLAs of the LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM also seconded the proposal, Shrawon Kumar said.

Earlier in the day, Nitish was elected leader of the JD-U's legislature party by the newly elected MLAs of the party. It deserves mention here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several top NDA leaders are set to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Bihar Chief Minister and his cabinet at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, sources said.

Preparations for the oath-taking event are in the final stages, with Nitish set to assume office as Chief Minister for a record 10th time. Several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states are expected to be present at the event. A large number of security personnel have been deployed in and around Gandhi Maidan, and entry of the general public has been completely banned until November 20, sources added. Vehicular traffic has also been diverted on certain routes leading to Gandhi Maidan due to the event.

Nitish had reviewed preparations for the oath-taking event on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, several ministers, and Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit.

The NDA stormed back to power in Bihar, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly, with BJP bagging 89, JD-U 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5, and RLM 4. (