After ditching 'Mahagathbandhan', Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar chief minister again

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Sunday was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for a record 9th time. Joining Nitish were BJP's Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. Both are expected to be made deputy chief ministers of the state.

Apart from them, six other ministers were also sworn in by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhawan.

Among the eight ministers, three each are from the BJP and the JD(U). One is from Jitharam Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha, while another is an independent MLA.

Speaking to the reporters after being sworn in, Nitish said, "We will stay together. 8 leaders took oath as ministers today and the rest will be inducted soon. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha have been appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi later congratulated Kumar and the new Bihar government.

"The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and to fulfill the aspirations of its people," he posted on X in Hindi, shortly after the swearing-in ceremony.

"Congratulate @NitishKumar ji on becoming Chief Minister and Samrat Chaudhary ji and Vijay Sinha ji on taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. I am confident that this team will serve my family members of the state with full dedication. @samrat4bjp @VijayKrSinhaBih," the prime minister added.

Earlier, the 72-year-old leader hinted at his unhappiness with the way the INDIA alliance was functioning. Nitish is believed to be the architect of the opposition alliance.

"You all know how I came to this alliance and also how I worked to bring together so many parties. But of late, things were not working well. It was not going down well with those in my party as well", he said.

"Nobody was doing anything after the alliance was formed. INDIA bloc failed my expectations," Nitish added.