Patna is set to witness a significant political event on November 20, 2025, as Nitish Kumar is scheduled to take oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record tenth time. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 11:00 AM at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will administer the oath, marking the eighth time he has sworn in Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister.
This landmark moment follows the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, where they secured 202 out of 243 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, closely followed by the JD(U) with 85. Other NDA allies, including LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM, secured 19, 5, and 4 seats respectively.
The grand swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, and several other senior national and state leaders from the NDA. Chief Ministers of many NDA-ruled states will also be present. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communication (IT, E&C), Real-Time Governance (RTG), and Human Resources Development (HRD) Nara Lokesh will also attend the event. BJP leader Prem Kumar emphasized that the event would be "historic".
Nitish Kumar's election as NDA leader came after a meeting of newly elected MLAs from alliance partners. He then submitted his resignation to the Governor, who accepted it and asked him to continue as caretaker CM until the new government is sworn in. Samrat Choudhary, the Deputy Chief Minister, was elected leader of the BJP legislative party, while Vijay Kumar Sinha was chosen as the deputy leader. Both are expected to take oath as Deputy Chief Ministers for the second consecutive time.
While the NDA celebrates its victory, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) struggled with coordination and vote transfer, leading to fragmented campaigning and electoral setbacks. Tejashwi Yadav was announced as the Chief Ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan, with Mukesh Sahani as the Deputy CM face. The RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, fell to third for the first time since 2010, while Kumar's Janata Dal (United) recorded its best result since 2010.
Several leaders are being considered for cabinet positions, including Samrat Choudhary, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Nitish Mishra, Renu Devi, and others. Former IPS officer Anand Mishra and others are also being considered as new additions.
On the day of the oath-taking ceremony, Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), will observe a day-long silent fast at Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran, taking responsibility for his party's performance in the recent elections.
Nitish Kumar's swearing-in marks a significant turning point in Bihar's political landscape as the NDA prepares to return to power with a fresh Cabinet and renewed equations among its partners.
