Bihar: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was on Wednesday sworn in for the eighth time, asserted that the NDA government at the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to "worry" about its prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Talking to reporters shortly after he was administered the oath of office by Governor Phagu Chauhan, Kumar also rubbished the BJP's claim that the new government will not last its full term, and said his former ally "will be back where they were after the 2015 assembly polls".
Earlier, senior BJP leader and former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had claimed that the party, with which Kumar broke his alliance the previous day, had received "no invitation".
Kumar was sworn in besides RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, who is likely to be designated as his deputy. Sources in the seven-party ruling coalition said that a cabinet expansion would take place later. Leaders of the BJP, which is the second largest party in the assembly with 77 MLAs, were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing in ceremony that took place inside the Raj Bhavan.
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This came a day after a huge political turmoil in the state, after which he broke the alliance of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and announced to form a new "Grand Alliance" which includes Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Opposition parties. The oath ceremony was attended by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and his wife Rajshri, former CM Rabri Devi and RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav at the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Patna. Seven parties including 164 MLAs along with independent MLA in our Mahagathbandhan, said Nitish Kumar at a joint presser with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav after meeting Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan on Tuesday.
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