E-Paper
Nitish Kumar stakes claim to form Bihar govt again
The developments came on a day the BJP elected Samrat Choudhury as its legislature party leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the deputy leader
Nitish Kumar on Wednesday staked claim to form the next government in Bihar after being elected the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), setting the stage for his 10th oath-taking ceremony scheduled at 11.30am on Thursday.
The developments came on a day the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 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.
Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda landed in Patna on Wednesday evening and held a meeting with leaders of the JD(U) and other allies, aiming to iron out differences between the coalition partners on niggling issues such as the home and education portfolio and the position of speaker, people aware of the developments said.
The NDA stormed to power in Bihar in the recently concluded assembly polls, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly, with the BJP bagging 89, the JD(U) 85, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 19, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) five and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha four.
Kumar, 75, first resigned as CM and then submitted the proposal to stake claim to governor Arif Mohammed Khan, carrying a letter of support from all NDA partners. Choudhary, Sinha, LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan, HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha accompanied him to the Raj Bhavan in an exhibition of the NDA cohesion.
Kumar is set to be sworn in as CM for a record 10th time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan at 11.30am in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, Nadda, Unions ministers Rajnath Singh and Dharmenndra Pradhan, and chief ministers of at least seven states.
On Wednesday, NDA leaders went into a huddle to discuss the list of ministers from each party and the portfolios that the alliance partners will get, the people cited above said, adding that the issue of the post of the Speaker also featured in the discussions. A final list of ministers would be submitted to the Governor on early Thursday morning and the ministers would be informed in the morning itself, the people said.
This will be the fourth time Kumar will be sworn in at the Gandhi Maidan since 2005. Preparations are in full swing at the venue and traffic advisories have been issued by the administration, as a large gathering is expected at the venue. The number of ministers who will be sworn in with Nitish and his two deputies is, however, not yet clear. Bihar can have a maximum of 36 ministers.
At the NDA meeting, Kumar’s name was proposed by Choudhary, after which the lawmakers unanimously voted in his favour. Kumar said that the state had changed a lot since he took over and it would further develop due in the coming days.
“Did the previous government do anything? We started the work in 2006 and this time we have to do even more. The Prime Minister and others have also been coming to Bihar frequently and there has been a lot of central help,” he added.
Hoardings and posters featuring NDA leaders and highlighting the ruling alliance’s achievements in Bihar were put up across the state’s capital Patna on Wednesday, featuring women, farmers, youth, and community mobilisers with messages describing the work executed by the “double-engine” government in various sectors.
Earlier in the day, the BJP legislature party meeting chose Choudhury and Sinha. “Choudhary has been elected the leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha the deputy leader unanimously,” said BJP observer and UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya.
The maximum number of cabinet berths is constitutionally capped at 15% of an assembly’s strength. Bihar, which has 243 assembly seats, can have up to 36 ministers, including the chief minister.
The BJP and the JD(U) are both eyeing the portfolio of home, which was with the JD(U) in the last term, said a person familiar with the matter. The education ministry – which was with the JD(U) – is also a point of contention. The post of speaker is coveted by both sides, the person said.
The parties are considering allocating roughly one ministerial post for every six MLAs to ensure balanced representation within the alliance. One slot each will likely go to the RLM and HAM(S), three to the LJP(RV), and the remaining 30–31 will be divided between the BJP and the JD(U), said a senior NDA leader.
