On Wednesday, Nitish Kumar was unanimously named the leader of the NDA’s legislative wing, paving way for his swearing-in as Bihar Chief Minister for a historic 10th term.
The 75-year-old leader is scheduled to take oath on Thursday at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, just a day after the dissolution of the outgoing assembly.
Kumar is expected to meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan later in the evening to formally stake claim to form the next government, backed by a letter of support from all NDA constituents.
The alliance secured a resounding mandate in the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, winning 202 of the 243 seats.
The BJP emerged with 89 seats, JD(U) followed closely with 85, while Chirag Paswan‘s LJP(RV) won 19, HAM five and RLM four.
Throughout the campaign, Kumar leaned heavily on a suite of welfare initiatives aimed at women, workers and vulnerable groups.
Key among them were enhanced social security pensions, increased stipends for Jeevika, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and the widely publicised Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, which transferred ₹10,000 each to over one crore women.
The landslide victory now sets the stage for his return to power with a renewed mandate.
