Nitish Kumar to take oath on November 20

Nitish Kumar will again take oath as chief minister along with a 36-member council of ministers after the Chhath festival to be celebrated in the third week of November, a JD-U leader said. The grand alliance of JD (U), RJD and Congress is making preparations to turn the swearing-in ceremony, slated for November 20, into a show of strength of anti-NDA forces from across the country.

To a question regarding the possibility of an RJD leader becoming Deputy Chief Minister, Kumar was non-committal and said merely that “everything will be told to you in time…why this anxiety before time?” State JD (U) president Bashistha Narain Singh, a close confidant of Nitish, said the entire world had evinced interest in the election that unfolded in Bihar and the message of the electorate is loud and clear. UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and Assam CM Tarun Gogoi are also expected to attend the ceremony.

As per the constitutional mandate, only 15 per cent of the total strength of the House (Bihar Assembly has 243 members) can take oath as ministers, which essentially means the strength of the ministry cannot exceed 36. But it would be the first time that his friend-turned-rival-turned-comrade Lalu Prasad and his family would join the ceremony. The JD (U) has won 71 seats, the RJD 80 and the Congress 27 seats in the House of 243.

The Chief minister described his visit to the state governor as a courtsey call to greet the governor on Diwali day and asked newsmen not to attach any political siginificance to it. He also said that he was committed to inclusive agenda and not abrasive politics and would respect the opposition.