Patna, November 19: JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was elected the leader of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar on Wednesday, paving the way for him to take oath as Chief Minister for the tenth time. The decision was taken at a meeting of newly elected MLAs of the alliance partners in Patna, state minister Shrawon Kumar said.
Soon after the announcement, Kumar met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan along with senior leaders of the alliance to submit his resignation as head of the outgoing government. The Governor accepted the resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until a new government is sworn in, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal told reporters.
Kumar is also expected to present a formal letter of support from all NDA constituents to the Governor to stake claim for forming the next government. He was accompanied by Union minister Chirag Paswan, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya during the meeting at Raj Bhavan.
Union ministers Chirag Paswan, Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with leaders of the HAM and RLM, were also present at the NDA gathering. The proposal to elect Kumar as leader of the alliance was moved by JD(U) senior leader Vijay Choudhary and seconded by BJP’s Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha. MLAs of the LJP(RV), HAM and RLM endorsed it as well, Shrawon Kumar said.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar was unanimously chosen as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party by the newly elected MLAs of his own party. The NDA has secured a clear majority in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, winning 202 seats. The BJP secured 89 seats, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM five and RLM four.
Kumar is scheduled to take oath at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Thursday, marking yet another chapter in his long political journey as one of Bihar’s most enduring leaders.
