(file photo)
Speed Post News Network
Patna : JD(U) National President Nitish Kuma, 69, will take oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the 7th time on November 16, 2020. He was unanimously elected Leader of NDA Legislature Party on November 15, 2020, at a meeting attended by senior NDA leaders including senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Chief Minister’s official residence.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi accompanied Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Bihar to oversee the NDA meeting in run-up to the government formation, from the State Guesthouse to the Chief Minister’s residence.
The outgoing Bihar government had a total of 30 ministers, including Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi. Among them 18 were from the JD(U) and the rest 12 from the BJP. With the BJP emerging as the largest party in the NDA with 74 MLAs and the JD(U)’s tally going down to 43 from 71, it would be interesting to see if the saffron party, which has sacrificed the post of the chief minister in honour of its pre-poll commitment, will insist on having a larger share in the cabinet.
A total of 24 ministers of the previous cabinet had contested the polls but 10 of them lost. The losing ministers from the JD(U) are : Shailesh Kumar, Santosh Kumar Nirala, Jay Kumar Singh, Krishnandan Verma, Ram Sevak Singh, Ramewsh Rishideo, Khursid alias Firoz Ahmed and Lakshmeshwar Rai. From the BJP, Suresh Kumar Sharma and Brij Kumar Bind are the two ministers who lost.
HAM (S) and VIP, who have won four seats each pushing the NDA’s tally past the magic figure of 122, are sure to get representation in the cabinet.