All is set for the swearing-in ceremony in Bihar, with Nitish Kumar likely set to return as Chief Minister after being unanimously elected as the leader of the Janata Dal (United) Legislature Party at a meeting held at his residence. With all major alliance partners finalising their legislative leadership, preparations are underway for a large and high-profile ceremony.
Several ministers are likely to take the oath alongside Nitish Kumar on Thursday. PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other union ministers and chief ministers of NDA governed states, are expected to mark their presence.
When and where the oath-taking ceremony will take place
Date and Time: November 20 (Thursday), 11:30 AM
Venue: Gandhi Maidan, Patna, the state’s historic public ground being readied for a major political event.
Where to watch: All major news channels and digital platforms will be live-streaming the event.
Several leaders have told the news portal that the Thursday event is likely to be “historic”, with a large gathering expected. BJP leader Prem Kumar stated that the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chief ministers of various NDA-ruled states would make the ceremony bigger than usual.
The JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha and Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh congratulated Nitish Kumar after the meeting. On the BJP side, Samrat Choudhary was elected as leader of the BJP Legislature Party in Bihar, whereas Vijay Sinha was chosen as the deputy leader. The NDA’s internal preparations are completed ahead of the government formation, as per a report by ANI.
NDA’s landslide victory set the tone for the new government
The oath ceremony follows a resounding victory for the National Democratic Alliance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections. The coalition won 202 out of 243 seats, marking a three-fourths majority. It is only the second time in the history of the state that the NDA has crossed the 200-seat mark. In 2010, the alliance bagged 206 seats.
The BJP won 89 seats and the JD (U) secured 85, whereas the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) registered 19 seats, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) won five, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha sealed four. Among the opposition, the RJD won 25 seats and Congress six, CPI (ml (L) two, IIP one and CPI (M) one, whereas AIMIM won five and BSP one.
The elections were conducted in two phases on November 6 and November 11, and witnessed a record voter turnout of 67.13%. the highest ever since 1951. The women voters were 71.6% outperforming men 62.8%.
