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NDA to begin government formation in 2–3 days after sweeping Bihar poll victory
As a first step in forming the next government, CM Kumar will meet governor Arif Mohammad Khan to submit his resignation and discuss the date for the swearing-in ceremony for the next term
Patna: After the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a resounding victory in the Bihar assembly elections, discussions on government formation have begun, with all alliance partners convening separate meetings of their newly elected legislators in Patna.
The leaders of NDA alliance partners also met chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday to congratulate him.
According to NDA leaders familiar with the matter, the government formation process will begin in two to three days, once all victorious MLAs — many of whom are still in their respective constituencies — reach Patna.
The term of the current assembly ends on November 22. The 18th assembly will be constituted on or before that day. As a first step in forming the next government, CM Kumar will meet governor Arif Mohammad Khan to submit his resignation and discuss the date for the swearing-in ceremony for the next term.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 89 of the 101 seats it contested, convened a meeting of top leaders at the party office on Saturday.
Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said that after the NDA’s landslide victory, the party’s central leadership would soon finalise everything related to government formation. “Everything will be decided within the next two days,” he said, announcing that on Sunday the party would hold a thanksgiving march in all districts of Bihar to express gratitude to voters.
Regarding the process of government formation, Jaiswal said that all NDA constituent parties would first hold separate meetings of their legislators to choose their respective leaders. After that, the leader of the NDA would be elected in a joint meeting of the alliance. “The schedule and details related to this will be announced by the BJP’s central leadership,” he said.
The BJP will soon appoint observers who will hold meetings with party MLAs to elect a leader, with a similar process to be followed by the Janata Dal (United).
JD(U) leaders said the party would hold its legislative party meeting on Monday. Similar meetings will also be convened by the BJP, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP (RV)], Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) [HAM-S], and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).
On Saturday, Union minister and senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh and party working president Sanjay Jha met CM Kumar and are learnt to have discussed government formation. The two leaders are likely to hold discussions with senior BJP leaders in New Delhi. BJP Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and Vinod Tawde also met Amit Shah in Delhi on Saturday.
Union minister Chirag Paswan, who met the chief minister on Saturday, said his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was looking forward to joining the new government in Bihar and that he “personally” felt JD(U) president Nitish Kumar should continue as chief minister.
Replying to a query, he said, “It is for the legislators to decide who should be the next CM or the deputy CM. I personally feel that Nitish Kumar should continue to head the government.”
Paswan also said on Saturday that representatives of his party met CM Kumar to congratulate him on the NDA’s resounding victory and discussed the formation of the next government in the state.
