Nitish Kumar likely to resign on Nov 19, NDA govt formation set to begin in Bihar

Kumar has served as the Chief Minister of Bihar for nine legislative terms.

JD(U) Chief Nitish Kumar is likely to submit his resignation as the Chief Minister of Bihar on November 19, states a PTI report.

The nine-time Bihar Chief Minister, on Monday morning, called on Governor Arif Mohammad Khan after the cabinet approved the dissolution of the Assembly on Sunday. Kumar's resignation later this week will formally set the ball rolling for the formation of a new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government following the bloc’s landslide victory in the assembly elections.

“The CM met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan soon after the meeting to apprise him about the decision of the cabinet. On November 19, Kumar will submit his resignation to the Governor as head of the outgoing government," as per a source cited by PTI.

Kumar’s meeting with the Governor follows a brief meeting of the outgoing cabinet on Sunday, which authorised him to take the “necessary action” for government formation. The cabinet meeting, officials stated, lasted no more than 10 minutes.

“The Chief Minister met the Governor soon after to convey the cabinet’s decision,” a senior official said.

The NDA secured a commanding mandate, winning over 200 of the 243 seats. The BJP led with 89 seats, followed closely by the JD(U) at 85. The LJP (Ram Vilas) bagged 19 seats, while smaller partners, the HAM and RLM, won a combined nine.

With the numbers settled, alliance partners have stepped up discussions over the shape of the next cabinet.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who returned from Delhi after consultations with senior BJP leaders, met Nitish Kumar in Patna on Sunday. “The new government will be in place in a few days. Details will be shared soon. We remain committed to delivering on every promise made in our manifesto,” Jha said.

Parallely, preparations for a high-profile swearing-in ceremony have also kicked off.

As per a JD(U) senior party figure, cited by PTI, it was “almost certain” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the oath-taking, likely to be held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan later this week.

PM Modi, who addressed more than a dozen rallies during the campaign, had declared at his final meeting that he would return “for the swearing-in of the new NDA government”.

JD(U) leaders, meantime, are also pushing for a larger share in the new cabinet.

“Our strength has increased significantly from 2020, when we had fewer than 50 MLAs. Naturally, we expect a stronger representation this time,” a JD(U) leader has been cited by the news agency.

On the other hand, LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan has confirmed his party’s intention to join the government. He has, however, declined to comment on speculation over whether he might seek a deputy chief minister’s berth.

To be mentioned here, in the outgoing government, the BJP held both deputy CM posts.

Meanwhile, smaller ally HAM elected Sikandra MLA Prafull Manjhi as its legislative party leader on Monday.