Nitish Kumar Sworn In as Bihar CM for the 9th Time, Along with Two Deputies from BJP

Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM for the 9th time, along with two deputies from BJP
Things were not going well... no question of going back now: Nitish Kumar
Written by Santosh Singh
Patna | Updated: January 28, 2024 22:37 IST
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Nitish Kumar takes oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time.

Nitish Kumar takes oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time. (PTI)
Switching sides for the fifth time in just over a decade, JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA on Sunday, less than 18 months after he left the alliance, and took oath as the Bihar Chief Minister for the ninth time.

BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, named as Deputy Chief Ministers, were among the ministers sworn in. Six other ministers, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Santosh Kumar Suman, Independent Sumit Kumar Singh, BJP’s Prem Kumar, and JD(U)’s Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Shravan Kumar, also took oath.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Kumar said: “I have come back where I was earlier. Now, there is no question of going back.”

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Earlier in the day, citing the reason for his decision, which is seen as a big setback for the Opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he said “things were not going well”.

“I have resigned and put an end to (Mahagathbandhan) government…Things were not going well. Everyone was in favour of breaking this alliance…we had forged a new alliance (in August 2022) but it too was not working well. I had been working a lot for Bihar and also worked for the new alliance (INDIA bloc) but it too, had not been working out well,” Kumar said.

Festive offer
Though he did not name the INDIA bloc, several JD(U) leaders said the party would target the Congress for not “valuing” Kumar, and the INDIA bloc “not being a serious initiative”.

Also in Political Pulse | Congress throws ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ jibe at Nitish, but fears its chances of bettering 2019 tally hit
Congratulating Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on ‘X’: “NDA government formed in Bihar will not leave any stone unturned to fulfil people’s aspirations and work for the state’s development. I congratulate Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha for becoming Deputy CMs. I believe this team will work with commitment to serve our people”.

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With Samrat Choudhary, a Kushwaha leader, and Vijay Kumar Sinha, a Bhumihar leader, the BJP has decided to go for an OBC-upper caste combination in its choice of Deputy Chief Ministers.

Bihar BJP sources said Modi is likely to address a rally in Sugauli in East Champaran on February 4, which Kumar is likely to attend in a show of solidarity. The PMO, however, is yet to confirm the date for the rally.

BJP president J P Nadda was among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony, which saw supporters raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”. In a gesture that appeared to be aimed at placating the fears of smaller coalition partners, he brought along Chirag Paswan, a staunch NDA ally but a vocal critic of Kumar.

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Addressing a press conference later, Nadda said Kumar was a “natural” alliance partner. “The people of Bihar had given the mandate in the last Assembly polls to our natural alliance with Nitish Kumar. Bihar has gained whenever we have been in power together, be it in terms of law and order or economic development,” he said.

“Bihar will again see growth propelled by a double engine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm at the Centre,” he said. “We are confident that the NDA will sweep the Lok Sabha polls and win all the 40 seats in Bihar. We will also form the next government in the state after the Assembly elections,” he added.

Since 2013, this is the fifth time that Kumar has changed sides. After snapping ties with the BJP in 2013, Kumar got outside support from parties like the Congress, CPI, and a disgruntled faction of the RJD.

A year later, though, he stepped down, taking moral responsibility for the JD(U)’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections.

In less than a year, he was back as Chief Minister, elbowing out his rebellious protege Jitan Ram Manjhi, this time with ample support from the RJD and Congress. The Grand Alliance that came into being with the JD(U), Congress and RJD coming together, won the 2015 Assembly polls, but came apart in just two years.

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Kumar returned to the NDA in 2017, hoping to get some traction after taking a stand against the corruption taint on his then deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

In August 2022, he again snapped ties with the BJP, accusing it of trying to “split” the JD(U), and joined the Mahagathbandhan. He formed a new government with a multi-party coalition that included the RJD and Congress.

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In the current 243-member Bihar Assembly, JD(U) has 45 MLAs and the BJP 78. Kumar also has the support of one Independent member. Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha, which is already a part of the NDA, has four MLAs.

The RJD (79) along with the Congress (19) and the Left parties (16) have a combined 114 MLAs, eight short of a majority.