'Wonderful team, dedicated leaders': PM Modi congratulates Nitish Kumar on taking oath as Bihar CM

PM Modi congratulated the new NDA government in Bihar (Image: X/@narendramodi)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Nitish Kumar on being sworn in as Bihar’s chief minister, praising him as an experienced leader known for effective governance.

He also extended his wishes to BJP leaders Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Sinha for assuming the roles of deputy chief ministers in the state.

"Congratulations to Shri Nitish Kumar Ji on taking oath as Bihar's Chief Minister. He is an experienced administrator with a proven track record of good governance for many years. My best wishes to him for his tenure ahead," the prime minister said.

"Congratulations to Shri Samrat Chaudhary Ji and Shri Vijay Sinha Ji on becoming Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar. Both leaders have worked extensively at the grassroots in serving people. Best wishes to them," he said.

"My best wishes to all those who have taken oath as Ministers in the Bihar Government. This is a wonderful team, with dedicated leaders who will take Bihar to new heights. Wishing them the very best," the prime minister added.

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan also congratulated Nitish Kumar, saying, "Warm wishes to him and all the newly sworn-in ministers as they assume their responsibilities. May their collective leadership usher in a new phase of sustained growth, good governance, inclusive development, and prosperity of Bihar."

"Wishing them success in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state," the vice president added.

The swearing-in ceremony was administered by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. A total of 25 leaders, apart from Nitish Kumar, took oath as part of the new NDA-led Bihar Cabinet.

Among them were Samrat Choudhary (BJP), Vijay Kumar Sinha (BJP), Vijay Kumar Choudhary (JD-U), Bijendra Prasad Yadav (JD-U), Shravan Kumar (JD-U), Mangal Pandey (BJP), Dilip Kumar Jaiswal (BJP) and Ashok Choudhary (JD-U).

Others who joined the Cabinet include Lesi Singh (JD-U), Madan Sahani (JD-U), Nitin Nabin (BJP), Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP), Santosh Kumar Suman of HAM(S), Sunil Kumar (JD-U), Mohammad Zama Khan (JD-U) and Sanjay Singh Tigar (BJP).

The list also features Arun Shankar Prasad (BJP), Surendra Mehta (BJP), Narayan Prasad (BJP), Rama Nishad (BJP), Lakhendra Kumar Raushan (BJP) and Shreyashi Singh (BJP).

Additionally, Pramod Kumar (BJP), Sanjay Kumar of LJP(RV), Sanjay Kumar Singh of LJP(RV) and Deepak Prakash of the RLM were sworn in as ministers.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan here, which has hosted his inaugurations in 2005, 2010, and 2015. It is at this venue that Jayaprakash Narayan called for "total revolution" during a speech in 1974.

Various Chief Ministers of NDA-ruled states were also present at the oath-taking ceremony. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, among others, were present.

Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and LJP (RV) Chief Chirag Paswan, among others, participated in the ceremony at Gandhi Maidan.

The 2025 Bihar Assembly polls were considered as the litmus test for Nitish Kumar, who has managed to steer the politics of Bihar around him in every election over the past 20 years.

With agency inputs