Will the double-engine government truly drive Bihar's development?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Double-engine government aims for enhanced development in Bihar.
- Nitish Kumar sworn in for the 10th time.
- New Deputy Chief Ministers: Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha.
- Significant political activity preceded the swearing-in.
- High public expectations for the new administration.
Patna, Nov 20 (NationPress) Union Minister Anupriya Patel expressed her congratulations to the newly inaugurated NDA government in Bihar, emphasizing that the double-engine government is committed to advancing the state's development and addressing all the people's needs.
In an interview with IANS, Union Minister Anupriya Patel remarked, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to CM Nitish Kumar and his cabinet. I am sincerely grateful to the citizens of Bihar for bestowing a substantial mandate upon the NDA. When the public grants a mandate, it signifies significant expectations from the government. The populace has high hopes for our administration. I assure the people of Bihar that this double-engine government will strive for the state's progress and will fulfill all expectations.”
Earlier today, Nitish Kumar took the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Bihar, with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan officiating the ceremony at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Patna Airport around 11 a.m. and flew directly to the event via helicopter to participate in the ceremony.
Nitish Kumar made history by taking the oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time at 11:30 a.m. His first term began in 2000, although that government lasted only seven days.
Since his return to power in 2005, he has been sworn in nine times consecutively, marking a significant milestone with this tenth oath. This occasion also marks the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended a swearing-in ceremony for Nitish Kumar.
Samrat Choudhary took his oath immediately after Nitish Kumar. A victorious MLA from Tarapur, he is now one of the Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar.
Vijay Sinha followed and has also taken office as Deputy Chief Minister.
Alongside Nitish Kumar, numerous ministers were sworn in, including Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal, Shravan Kumar, Bijendra Yadav, Lacey Singh, Nitin Naveen, Madan Sahani, Ram Kripal Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Sunil Kumar, Jama Khan, Sanjay Tiger, Arun Shankar Prasad, Rama Nishad, Surendra Mehta, Narayan Prasad, and Ashok Choudhary.
After the ceremony, the Prime Minister congratulated all the newly sworn-in ministers.
The oath-taking ceremony followed a day filled with significant political maneuvering on Wednesday after Nitish Kumar visited Raj Bhavan to assert a claim to form the new government. He submitted letters of support from 202 NDA MLAs and resigned as the outgoing Chief Minister. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan then dissolved the 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly and invited him to establish the new government.
Prior to this, Nitish Kumar was elected as the leader of the JD(U) legislative party, while the BJP designated Samrat Choudhary as its legislative party leader and Vijay Sinha as deputy leader. Both were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers, heralding the start of the new NDA government in Bihar.