New Delhi/Patna, Nov 17: Bihar’s power corridor is moving toward its next moment of oath and destiny, as the state prepares for a swearing-in ceremony on November 20. The day was confirmed by Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who spoke from Delhi on Monday, letting the date slip into the public conversation like something already shaped behind closed doors.
The renewed NDA government — powered by a historic mandate of 202 seats in a 243-member Assembly — is shifting into formation again, its centre of gravity unchanged. Nitish Kumar’s name rises naturally in every room where the future of Bihar is discussed, a quiet inevitability after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his “phenomenal leadership” in the post-victory address on November 14.
Manjhi, surrounded by reporters, sketched out an early outline of the coming cabinet, though he insisted that nothing is official yet. He expects a council of around 35 ministers, with 14–15 from the BJP, 12–13 from the JD(U), three from the LJPRV, and one each from HAM and the Rashtriya Lok Manch. The arithmetic of alliance, he suggested, is balanced by something deeper — the verdict of a state that held its faith steady.
He credited Nitish Kumar’s governance and what he described as the Prime Minister’s unwavering support for Bihar for the sweeping victory. But the line he returned to with unmistakable emphasis was the power of the women’s vote. “Bihar ki mahilaon ne ek taraf ho kar vote diya,” he noted, adding that women overwhelmingly backed the NDA, even where their households may have stood divided.
Meanwhile, the BJP legislature party will meet at the party headquarters in Patna on Tuesday to select its leader. Once that name is chosen, the NDA partners will formally decide the alliance leader — a process that appears largely ceremonial, given the political clarity following the mandate.
In Patna, preparations have already begun. In Delhi, confirmations come wrapped in careful words. And across Bihar, an entire state waits for November 20 — the day the next government steps onto the stage with its new oath, its old leader, and a verdict so decisive it has left little room for doubt.
