Nitish Kumar oath taking ceremony: 26 ministers inducted, focus shifts to portfolio allocation

Nitish Kumar oath ceremony LIVE: At the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, a supporter who came for the swearing-in ceremony, said she was excited for the event, adding that omen received massive support from the NDA in Bihar.

"... We are all very excited, especially the women who have received a great deal of support. PM Modi is coming to attend the swearing-in ceremony for the first time, and we are delighted by his presence...," said Smita Rani, speaking to ANI news agency.

Nitish Kumar oath ceremony LIVE: On the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar, BJP's Vijay Sinha, one of the two likely deputy CM, said on Thursday that the people of Bihar have given their mandate to the double engine government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar.

Bihar CM oath taking ceremony LIVE: Bihar: Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio have landed in Patna airport to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar will take oath as chief minister of Bihar for the 10th time today. The ceremony will start at around 11:30 am at Patna's Gandhi Maidan.

Nitish Kumar oath ceremony LIVE: Visuals from Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar will take place today, showed preparations being done for the grand event.

Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar CM for the 10th time. Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha are likely to take oath as deputy CMs.

Nitish Kumar oath ceremony LIVE: Here are five key points on the grand swearing-in event taking place today -

1 - Nitish Kumar's 10th oath as CM

Nitish Kumar will take oath as Bihar's chief minister for the 10th time during the ceremony at Patna's Gandhi Maidan.

2 - High-profile attendance

The swearing-in will be attended by major national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, several Union ministers, and chief ministers from at least seven states.

3 - 18 ministers likely to take oath

Eighteen ministers, including two deputy chief ministers (Samrat Choudhury and Vijay Kumar Sinha), are expected to be sworn in. Discussions on ministerial portfolios and the Speaker's post were held before finalising the list.

4 - NDA's big election victory

The NDA secured a strong majority in the 2025 Bihar elections, winning 202 of 243 seats, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party.

5 - Formation of new government

Nitish Kumar resigned and then staked claim to form the new government with support from all NDA partners on Wednesday, after being elected as leader of the JD(U) and then of the NDA in Bihar.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: Posters of Nitish Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, Union minister and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan and other NDA leaders have been put up outside Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar will take place today.

Bihar govt formation LIVE: On the formation and swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said, "This is a resounding mandate. In accordance with the spirit of the mandate, an NDA government will be formed under the leadership of Bihar's popular leader and next Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar. Our resolve is to establish Bihar among the top 10 states in the country."

(Via ANI)

Bihar govt formation LIVE: A BJP leader familiar with the matter said 18 ministers, including two deputy CMs, would be sworn in on Thursday.

"On Thursday, 18 ministers including CM and two deputy CMs would be sworn in. Among the ministers, six each would be from BJP and JD (U) while three would be from other three alliance partners, the LJP (RV), HAM-S and RLM,” an HT report quoted the BJP leader.

Unconfirmed reports said JD(U) leaders likely to be part of the new Cabinet include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Shrawan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Lesi Singh, Sheila Mandal, Madan Sahni, Ratnesh Sada, Mohammad Zama Khan, Jayant Raj, Umesh Singh Kushwaha, and Ashok Chowdhary. Other probable inductees from JD(U) are Rahul Kumar Singh, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Kaladhar Prasad Mandal, and Panna Lal Singh Patel, sources said.

BJP sources said most ministers from the outgoing Cabinet will be retained, with the party considering three new faces. Those likely to continue include Samrat Choudhary, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Nitish Mishra, Renu Devi, Jibesh Kumar, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Janak Ram, Hari Sahni, Kedar Prasad Gupta, Surendra Mehta, Santosh Kumar Singh, Sunil Kumar, and Motil Lal Prasad.

Bihar govt formation LIVE: While there seems to be no suspense over the chief minister and deputy positions, the post of speaker is reportedly being eyed by both the JD(U) and the BJP.

Among the frontrunners for the position are the BJP’s Prem Kumar and JD(U)’s Vijay Chowdhary. Read more here

Bihar CM oath taking ceremony LIVE: Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat landed in Patna on Thursday morning for the oath-taking ceremony of the new NDA-led Bihar government.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Shekhawat said he is sure Bihar will become the “growth engine of Viksit Bharat".

"Congratulations to the people of Bihar on the formation of this new government. I am sure that Bihar will become the growth engine of Viksit Bharat in the future...," he said.

(via ANI)

Bihar CM oath taking ceremony LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the ceremony, along with senior leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan, and chief ministers from at least seven states.

Amit Shah landed in Patna on Wednesday evening.

Bihar govt formation LIVE: Home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah landed in Patna on Wednesday evening ahead of Nitish Kumar's 10th oath ceremony as Bihar chief minister.

Amit Shah was welcomed by BJP National President JP Nadda, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal and other leaders at the airport.

Bihar CM oath taking ceremony LIVE: Heavy security arrangements overseen by the special protection group (SPG) are in place at Gandhi Maidan for the oath ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders.

Patna police has also formed a special monitoring team at the control room, which will monitor the event area via drones. Around 128 CCTVs have also been installed in the area, HT reported.

Additionally, over 2,500 security personnel, 250 police officers, and more than 250 magistrates have been deployed, while snipers have been positioned on high-rise buildings around Gandhi Maidan. Read more here

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: Nitish Kuma will take oath as the chief minister of Bihar for a record tenth time on Thursday, November 20. Over the years, he has shifted political alliances multiple times while retaining the top post.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA( met on Wednesday to discuss the distribution of ministerial berths and portfolios among alliance partners, according to an earlier HT report.

The role of Speaker was also reportedly part of the discussions. A final list of ministers was expected to be submitted to the governor early Thursday, with ministers informed the same morning.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday elected Samrat Choudhury as its legislature party leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the deputy leader, indicating that the two leaders will continue to be deputy chief ministers in the state.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: Nitish Kumar, 75, resigned as chief minister of the outgoing NDA government on Wednesday before submitting his claim to form the new government to governor Arif Mohammed Khan, backed by letters of support from all NDA partners.

Before resigning as CM, Nitish Kumar was elected leader of JD(U) and subsequently of the NDA in Bihar.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: The swearing-in ceremony for the new NDA government is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am at the historic Gandhi Maidan of Patna.

The oath-taking ceremony will mark the fourth such event at the Gandhi Maidan. Only in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was the ceremony held as a low-key affair at the Raj Bhawan.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - led by JD(U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - won a decisive victory in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, securing 202 of 243 seats.

The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, followed by JD(U) with 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) with five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha with four.

The alliance restricted the Mahagathbandhan of the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to 35 seats.

Bihar CM oath-taking ceremony LIVE: Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar on Wednesday staked his claim to form the next government in Bihar after being elected leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This set the stage for his swearing-in ceremony.

This will mark the 10th time Nitish Kumar takes oath as chief minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the ceremony, along with senior leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan, and chief ministers from at least seven states.