JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar to be elected as NDA leader in Bihar today

Pic/PTI

JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar is set to be elected as the leader of the NDA in Bihar on Wednesday, ahead of the formation of the new government under his leadership in the state on November 20, a party leader said, reported news agency PTI.

Kumar, who will take oath as Bihar CM for a record 10th time at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan on Thursday, will be first elected as leader of the JD(U) legislature party and then the leader of the NDA during a meeting of the constituents of the five-party alliance, he said.

Talking to PTI Video, JD(U) working national president Sanjay Jha said, "Nitish Kumar will be first elected as leader of our legislature party on Wednesday. After that, he will be elected as NDA leader by the newly elected MLAs of all alliance partners."

Kumar will meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in the evening, requesting him to initiate the process for the formation of the new government, the JD(U) leader said.

He will also tender his resignation to the governor as the head of the outgoing government, another JD(U) leader said, reported PTI.

Kumar will also submit a letter of support from all NDA constituents to the governor for the formation of the new government, he said, reported PTI.

The current assembly will be dissolved on Wednesday, he said.

Several ministers will also take the oath along with the CM on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several other union ministers and CMs of NDA-ruled states are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the state capital and around Gandhi Maidan, officials said, reported PTI.

The NDA stormed back to power in Bihar, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly, with BJP bagging 89, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5 and RLM 4.

Among opposition parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, the Indian National Congress six, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) [CPI(ML)(L)] two, the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) one, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] one seat.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) secured five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won one seat.

The Bihar assembly elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11. Bihar recorded a historic 67.13 per cent voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters outpacing men (71.6% vs 62.8%).

(With inputs from PTI)