NDA's big message for crisis-hit INDIA bloc at Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony

Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar chief minister at Patna's Gandhi Maidan

The NDA on Thursday put a united front when Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar’s chief minister for an unprecedented tenth time, marking yet another milestone in his long and eventful political career.

Kumar took oath at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan which was witness to key turning points in history, including the Indian freedom struggle and Jayaprakash Narayan's war cry against then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the anti-Emergency movement.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J P Nadda and several other top leaders of NDA. The event was also attended by chief ministers and leaders from other states, including Andhra Pradesh CM and key NDA ally Chandrababu Naidu, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath among others.

Kumar greeted PM Modi after taking oath. Kumar is among the 10 longest-serving CMs in the country. At 74, he also achieved another milestone of extending his 19-year stint as CM and breaking into the national top 10 list of longest-serving heads of government.

This is not the first time that the NDA has put up a united front during the swearing-in ceremony after winning election in a state.

Even when BJP’s Rekha Gupta was sworn in February as Chief Minister of Delhi, the grant event was attended by key BJP leaders, including PM Modi, Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Minister JP Nadda.

Again in 2024, PM Modi and key NDA leaders were spotted at Azad Maidan in Mumbai when BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

A united front at a swearing-in ceremony matters primarily for symbolic and political reasons. It publicly demonstrates cohesion and understanding between allies. The NDa has always claimed unity among its allies.

Putting up a united front at the swearing-in ceremony of its leaders also is probably NDA’s subtle dig at the INDIA bloc. The NDA has often accused the INDIA bloc of not being able to keep its flock together.

The Bihar election was a test of the cohesion of the INDIA bloc, which was formed in 2023 to counter the BJP dominance. The bloc’s seat-sharing negotiations faltered, leading to “friendly fights” and rebellions from disgruntled leaders denied tickets.

The RJD, whose Tejashwi was the CM face for the Mahagathbandhan, secured 26 seats, while the Congress managed an embarrassing win of 6 seats.

During his victory speech after the November 14 results, PM Modi reminded people of what he had said after Maharashtra, Haryana and even Delhi assembly poll results. “The Congress is a parasite that brings down even its allies."