Bihar updates: Nitish, Tejashwi sworn in as CM, Dy CM in no-frills ceremony at Raj Bhawan

Bihar did what country needs to do. We've shown them a way. Our fight has been against unemployment. Our CM felt the pain of poor & youth. We'll give bumper jobs within one month to poor & youth, it'll be something so grand that its never happened before: Bihar Dy CM, Tejashwi Yadav

Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav reaches his mother, Rabri Devi's residence; party workers, locals hold huge celebrations outside the house, burn crackers

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. Read more

"I thank everyone," says his wife Rajshri. "It's good for people of Bihar, I thank them. All are happy," says mother-ex CM Rabri Devi. "We have come to power to work," says his brother Tej Pratap Yadav 

Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar's chief minister again today soon after announing a new "Grand Alliance" which includes Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Opposition parties.

Party positions in Bihar assembly

This is not the oath-taking ceremony of just two persons, but of Bihar. History has taken a new turn today: RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha

De-facto CM is Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar is just the titular Head. They (RJD) have a strength of 80,you have  45-46. Everyone knows how Lalu Yadav works. Nitish Kumar will be CM just for show & real CM will be Tejashwi Yadav: Sushil Modi, BJP RS MP & former Deputy CM of Bihar

Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav to take oath shortly as Bihar CM and deputy CM. Rabri Devi, Tej Pratap and Tejashwi's wife have reached Raj Bhawan to attend the swearing-in ceremony

I believe the latest political developments in Bihar are specific to the state. I don't think this is done with the thought of creating an alternate opposition on a national level in the country: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor

In 2020, we got votes in name of Narendra Modi. Had we received votes in your(Nitish Kumar)name we would've crossed 150-175&you wouldn't have won just 43. When it seemed situation isn't good,Narendra Modi did 3-4 rallies in one day. 2020 mandate was for Narendra Modi. BJP has never betrayed anyone. We made Nitish Kumar the Bihar CM, five times. RJD made him the CM twice, we did that five times. We had a relation for 17 years. But you severed ties (with us) twice. They are saying that attempts were being made to break JD(U), example of Shiv Sena is being given. Shiv Sena was not our ally, it was the ruling party there. You (JDU) were our ally. We have never broken any of our allies: Sushil Kumar Modi, BJP RS MP & former Deputy CM of Bihar

More than 10 lakh people would be employed... There is a flicker of hope for the people who have been concerned about the growing communalism. Awareness against PM Modi is spreading among the people of the country: Shyam Rajak, RJD National General Secretary, in Patna

Nitish Kumar has been a non-Congress leader. His politics is around non-Congressism. Is that finished? Compromise with corruption&non-Congressism! Nitish Kumar sided with corruption & Congressism. Congratulations. People will give a reply in LS & Aseembly polls: BJP MP RS Prasad

71-year-old Kumar, who became chief minister for a record eighth time, had started out as an engineer in the Bihar Electricity Board to join politics under aegis of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia and participated in Jayprakash Narayan’s movement in the 1970s. Read more

BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh shared a 2017 tweet of Lalu Prasad Yadav in which the latter had targeted Nitish Kumar after he parted ways with RJD and joined hands with the BJP to form the govt. Giriraj Singh took a swipe saying, "the snake has entered your home." Lalu had said Nitish Kumar sheds his skin in the same manner in which a snake does.

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has slammed JD-U leader Nitish Kumar's decision to break ties with the BJP and said he won't get the same respect with RJD in the next government in the state as he got with BJP.

The change of government in Bihar has filled the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh with 'optimism'. Talking to reporters in Kannauj, Akhilesh said: "People in our communities are no longer getting postings in institutions and all BJP supporters are being appointed to key posts at universities and educational institutions."

Trinamool Congress on Tuesday welcomed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar quitting the BJP-led NDA and said no ally can safeguard its identity in the saffron camp as BJP with its "grab all politics" does not believe in the existence of regional parties.

Total Strength - 243
Effective Strength - 242 (1 RJD member disqualified)
Majority - 122

Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) :-
JD(U) - 46 (45 party MLAs, 1 Independent)
RJD - 79
Congress - 19
CPI(ML) - 12
CPI - 02
CPI(M) - 02
HAM - 04
---------
TOTAL - 164

BJP - 77
AIMIM - 01

Following the political developments in Bihar, JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday expressed hope of the erstwhile Janata Dal Parivar re-emerging as a political alternative in the country.

The Congress is likely to get four ministerial berths in the new government in Bihar as JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the BJP and joined hands with the RJD-led alliance, sources said on Tuesday.

Opposition parties on Tuesday claimed the JD(U) breaking ranks with the BJP is an indication of the change in Indian politics, asserting that their vision to fight the saffron party and its "politics of intimidation" has gained momentum.

As Nitish Kumar snapped ties with BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan Tuesday slammed the Bihar chief minister for insulting the people's mandate once again and demanded the imposition of President's Rule in the state followed by fresh elections.

JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar spoke with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and expressed his gratitude to them for supporting him after he broke ties with the BJP, Congress sources said on Tuesday.

Startling allegations of backstabbing were made against the BJP by MLAs and MPs of the JD(U) on Tuesday at a meeting here after which Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled the plug on the alliance. According to sources in the JD(U), who did not wish to be named, information, including call details, were shared which suggested that former national president RCP Singh, who resigned from the primary membership last week, had contacted “about a dozen MLAs and a minister at the BJP’s behest, with the intention to split the party”.

Swearing in of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav as Chief Minister and Deputy CM respectively will take place at 2 pm on Wednesday. It will be a simple ceremony to be held inside Raj Bhavan.  More ministers will be inducted into the cabinet at a later stage, sources in Kumar's JD(U) and Yadav's RJD said. Nitish Kumar will be heading a coalition of seven parties which is supported by an Independent.

The BJP on Tuesday fumed at yet another volte face by its old ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of being a “habitual betrayer” who was pushing Bihar into the abyss of lawlessness and corruption by entering into a fresh alliance with the RJD. In a statement issued after core committee meeting at the state headquarters, the party announced that it will stage massive protests (mahadharnas) against the “betrayal” by the JD(U) leader across all districts on Wednesday which will be followed by agitations at the block level a day later.

Nitish Kumar, once seen as a potential rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, broke ranks with the BJP-led NDA coalition Tuesday to stake claim as head of the rival 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) to be chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time. Kumar, 71, who earlier in the day submitted his resignation as the chief minister heading the NDA coalition, said he submitted a list of 164 MLAs to Governor Phagu Chauhan, who is likely to swear him and a small cabinet into office at 2 pm on Wednesday at Raj Bhavan. The effective strength of the state Assembly is 242 and the magic figure is 122.