(Image source from: Twitter.com/Jduonline)
Preparations are underway for a new NDA government to be established in Bihar, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is scheduled to lead the final Cabinet meeting today. A resolution will be passed to disband the Cabinet, after which Nitish Kumar will resign to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. The Cabinet's meeting will take place at 11:30 am. An official decision will be made to give Nitish Kumar the authority to meet with the Governor at Raj Bhavan to discuss dissolving the current Assembly, according to a senior leader from Janata Dal (United). This progress comes after Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal met with the Governor on Sunday to share the list of elected members from the recent Assembly elections, which were decisively won by the NDA.
The NDA secured a strong majority, winning 202 out of 243 Assembly seats, with the BJP claiming the most at 89 seats and the JD(U) following closely with 85 seats. Union Minister Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) achieved 19 seats, and additional nine seats were taken by smaller allies Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, who traveled to Delhi to discuss government formation with BJP leaders, met with Nitish Kumar on Sunday. "In a few days, the new government will take shape. Details will be shared in time. We are dedicated to keeping all the commitments made in the NDA's manifesto," he informed reporters afterward. A JD(U) official, who wished to remain unnamed, mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be present at the swearing-in event at the iconic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. "It is highly likely that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come for the swearing-in ceremony. It promises to be a grand event, likely held at the historical Gandhi Maidan, which can hold a large crowd," he stated.
Importantly, PM Modi had spoken at numerous rallies during the Assembly election campaign and had assured to "return for the swearing-in of the new NDA government." The JD(U) leader also expressed hope for greater representation in the new cabinet compared to the previous one, which had only 12 ministers from their party. "We seek more positions in the cabinet because our number of MLAs has significantly increased since 2020 when we had fewer than 50," he mentioned. However, he acknowledged that balancing the requests of various alliance partners would be difficult due to the inclusion of new members like LJP(RV) and RLM. Meanwhile, Chirag Paswan conveyed that LJP(RV) is eager to become part of the new government, but he avoided responding when asked if his party was interested in the Deputy Chief Minister role. In the current government, both Deputy Chief Ministers, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, are from the BJP.
On a different note, HAM, led by Bihar minister Santosh Kumar Suman, conducted a meeting with their legislative party where Prafull Manjhi, the MLA from Sikandra, was chosen as the leader. Suman, who serves as an MLC, expressed, "We are completely backing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and we are eager to assist the people of Bihar once more." The leader of HAM, Jitan Ram Manjhi, along with RLM President Upendra Kushwaha, had individual meetings with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was in charge of BJP's elections in Bihar, at his home in Delhi on Sunday. Additionally, Vinod Tawde, who oversees political matters for the BJP in Bihar, was also there when the two allies from NDA visited Pradhan’s house. Sources indicate that both Manjhi and Kushwaha talked with the BJP leaders about forming a government in Bihar and how their parties could be represented in the state cabinet. While the NDA was focused on creating a new government, the RJD, which is the main opposition party, was struggling with serious internal conflicts, particularly as Lalu Yadav's daughter, Rohini Acharya, decided to leave politics.
She claimed that after the party's loss, she faced harsh insults, was accused of “selling my kidney to my father for money and a party ticket,” and experienced aggression at her parents' home. Acharya stated that she had the complete backing of her parents and sisters and directly blamed her younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, who is seen as her father's successor, as well as his close associates, Sanjay Yadav and Rameez, for her mistreatment.
