Bihar is preparing for a landmark moment on November 20, when Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar will take oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time. The ceremony, to be held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance, along with several senior national and state leaders from the NDA. The development comes after the JD(U) chief was unanimously elected leader of the legislature party during a meeting of newly elected MLAs at his official residence. “Nitish Kumar has been chosen as JD(U)’s legislature party leader,” state minister Shrawon Kumar said after the meeting. Sources have said that the new Cabinet will have five to six new faces from the main constituents of the NDA, the BJP and the JD(U).
The oath-taking ceremony will begin at 11 am on Thursday. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will administer the oath, becoming the eighth governor to swear in Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister. This follows Kumar’s formal resignation on Wednesday, ahead of the expiry of the current assembly term on November 22. The National Democratic Alliance registered a landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, winning 202 out of 243 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed closely by the JD(U) with 85. Other NDA allies, LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM, secured 19, 5 and 4 seats respectively. With the NDA returning with a massive mandate, the path for Nitish Kumar’s 10th term was clear.
Why is Nitish Kumar’s swearing-in significant?
Nitish Kumar’s return is particularly notable because the JD(U)-BJP-led NDA has overcome anti-incumbency for the fifth consecutive time. At 74, Kumar remains one of India’s longest-serving chief ministers and continues to be a central figure in Bihar’s political landscape. The NDA’s dominant win saw the Opposition Mahagathbandhan reduced to just 35 seats, marking one of its weakest showings in recent years.
Who can likely become ministers in his new government?
Possible ministers from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
| Likely BJP Ministers | Caste | Constituency |
| Samrat Choudhary | Kushwaha | Tarapur |
| Vijay Kumar Sinha | Bhumihar | Lakhisarai |
| Mangal Pandey | Brahmin | Siwan |
| Nitish Mishra | Brahmin | Jhanjharpur |
| Renu Devi | Extremely Backward | Bettiah |
| Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu | Rajput | Chhatapur |
| Sanjay Saraogi | Vaishya | Darbhanga |
| Hari Sahni | Extremely Backward | Bihar Legislative Council |
| Nitin Nabin | Kayastha | Bankipur |
| Rajnish Kumar Singh | Bhumihar | Teghra |
| Likely JDU Ministers | Caste | Constituency |
| Vijay Kumar Chaudhary | Bhumihar | Sarairanjan |
| Bijendra Prasad Yadav | Yadav | Supaul |
| Shrawan Kumar | Kurmi | Nalanda |
| Ashok Choudhary | Dalit-Pasi | Bihar Legislative Council |
| Ratnesh Sada | Dalit-Musahar | Sonbarsha |
| Sunil Kumar | Dalit-Ravidas | Bhore |
| Shyam Rajak | Dalit | Phulwari |
| Mohd Zama Khan | Muslim | Chainpur |
| Leshi Singh | Rajput | Dhamdaha |
| Damodar Rawat | Extremely Backward | Jhajha |
| Likely Ministers | Caste | Constituency |
| Raju Tiwari (LJP-RV) | Brahmin | Govindganj |
| Santosh Kumar Suman (HAM) | Dalit-Musahar | Bihar Legislative Council |
| Snehlata Kushwaha (RLM) | Kushwaha | Sasaram |
Who all will attend the Bihar swearing-in ceremony?
The ceremony is expected to draw a high-profile gathering of national leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend, alongside Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP national president JP Nadda.
Chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from several BJP and NDA-ruled states will also join. Confirmed attendees include:
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
- Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav
- Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu (likely to attend)
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