Nitish Kumar has been unanimously elected NDA Legislature Party Leader and will take oath as Bihar Chief Minister for a historic 10th time. Backed by 202 MLAs, the NDA delivered a massive landslide in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election. The swearing-in at Gandhi Maidan will see top national leaders in attendance ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha battle.
TheInterviewTimes.com | November 19, 2025: In a landmark political moment, Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected the NDA Legislature Party Leader on Wednesday, paving the way for his swearing-in as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record-breaking 10th time. The announcement followed a high-stakes meeting of newly elected NDA legislators at the Chief Minister’s official residence, 1 Anne Marg, in Patna.
Senior BJP leaders — including outgoing Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary — proposed Kumar’s name, which was swiftly supported by LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and HAM(S) supremo Jitan Ram Manjhi. This unanimous endorsement sealed the leadership question within minutes.
Moments later, Kumar visited Raj Bhavan to submit his resignation and simultaneously stake claim to form the new government with the backing of 202 MLAs — a commanding 83% majority in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
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A Massive Mandate for Nitish Kumar and NDA
The 2025 Bihar Assembly election delivered one of the most decisive outcomes in the state’s political history. The NDA bagged 202 seats, surpassing the majority mark by an extraordinary 80 seats.
- BJP: 89
- JD(U): 85
- LJP (Ram Vilas): 19
- HAM(S): 5
- Rashtriya Lok Morcha: 4
Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan collapsed under a wave of anti-incumbency and fractured voter consolidation. RJD finished with just 25 seats, Congress with 6, CPI(ML) with 3, and VIP with 1 — a combined strength of only 35 MLAs.
Election officials confirmed that the 2025 voter turnout stood at 67.13%, the highest in Bihar since India’s first general election. Notably, women’s turnout touched 71.6%, a demographic that has consistently supported Nitish Kumar’s welfare-oriented governance model.
Addressing reporters, Kumar said, “The people of Bihar have given us a historic mandate. We are grateful and committed to working without pause.”
Historic Swearing-in Ceremony at Gandhi Maidan
Nitish Kumar’s 10th oath-taking ceremony will be held at Gandhi Maidan on November 20 at 11:30 a.m., marking one of the grandest political events in recent years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and over a dozen NDA Chief Ministers are expected to attend. Political observers interpret the event as a pre-2029 Lok Sabha show of strength, strategically designed to project a unified NDA ahead of the national elections.
Sources say the initial council of ministers will remain relatively compact, with 30–32 members, equally shared between the BJP and JD(U). Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha will continue as Deputy Chief Ministers.
A Ten-Time Chief Minister: The Making of a Political Record
Nitish Kumar’s political journey is unparalleled in Indian federal politics. Once sworn in tomorrow, he will become the only leader in independent India to serve as Chief Minister ten times.
His tenure timeline reflects both political adaptability and administrative longevity:
- 2000: First oath (7-day government)
- 2005: Second term
- 2010: Third term
- 2015: Fourth term
- 2015: Fifth term (resigned in 2017)
- 2017: Sixth term (returned to NDA)
- 2020: Seventh term
- 2022: Eighth term
- 2024: Ninth term
- 2025: Tenth term (current mandate)
Despite earning criticism for frequent realignments — often labeled “Paltu Ram” — his popularity among women, rural voters, and welfare beneficiaries has remained firm. Flagship schemes like free bicycles for girls, 35% reservation for women in government jobs, and rural ethanol initiatives dominated the 2025 campaign narrative.
Opposition Faces Demoralizing Defeat
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav conceded defeat, stating, “We accept the mandate. Our fight for social justice will continue.”
Congress called the result “unexpected,” while CPI(ML) alleged misuse of resources. However, most analysts argue that the unprecedented women’s turnout and NDA’s disciplined alliance arithmetic shaped the sweeping victory.
What Comes Next for Bihar Under Nitish Kumar
With the strongest mandate of his political career, Nitish Kumar now has the runway to push several long-pending development goals. NDA leaders have outlined their priorities:
- Creation of 20 lakh jobs in five years
- Development of new industrial corridors along the Ganga
- Expansion of women-focused welfare programs
- Completion of irrigation and flood-control projects
- Boosting Bihar’s ethanol and agro-processing infrastructure
Patna is already decorated with giant posters proclaiming, “Bihar ka Nitish, Desh ka Vikas.”
For Nitish Kumar, at 74, the tenth inning may be his most stable — and perhaps his most consequential.
Key Takeaways
- Nitish Kumar unanimously elected NDA Legislature Party Leader.
- Set to take oath as Bihar CM for the 10th time, an Indian political record.
- NDA wins 202 seats, one of the largest majorities in Bihar’s history.
- Swearing-in at Gandhi Maidan, attended by top national leaders.
- NDA priorities: jobs, industry corridors, women’s welfare, and irrigation reforms.