Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had declined to campaign for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, was seen hugging the former Bihar chief minister during the oath-taking ceremony of Nitish Kumar. Both sons of RJD Lalu Prasad Tej Pratap and Tejaswi also took oath as ministers in the Nitish Cabinet.
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Lalu’s sons Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav also took an oath as ministers of Bihar. All of these 28 members took oath in the administration of Governor Ram Nath Kovind.
Besides Nitish Kumar, 12 legislators each of the RJD and JD-U and four from the Congress were sworn in as ministers.
Nitish Kumar belongs to the Janata Dal (United) party. Himadri Devi, an RJD supporter who had come from Gulzarbagh to attend the ceremony, was disappointed when she realised that her CM would now be Nitish and not Lalu.
From Congress party – Ashok Choudhary, Madan Mohan Jha, Abdul Jalil Mastan, Awdesh Kumar Singh. About the BJP’s performance in the Bihar polls, Mr Sinha quipped, “I will pray to Lord Jagannath that good sense prevails on my party to overcome the shortcomings exposed during Bihar elections”.
Congress Chief Ministers include Himachal Pradesh’s Virbhadra Singh, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Assam’s Tarun Gogoi, Sikkim’s PK Chamling, Manipur’s O Ibobi Singh and Arunachal Pradesh’s Nabam Tuki.
Is Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav going to become the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was extended an invite, will give the swearing ceremony a miss.
In the 2010 Assembly election, the JD(U)-BJP alliance won 206 of the 243 seats, decimating the RJD, which could bag just 22 and was rendered ineligible for even the post of the Leader of the Opposition. President of National Lok Dal Ajit Singh and former Union Minister and NCP leader Praful Patel would also be present on the occasion.
Nitish Kumar has kept the home, information and public relation as well as general administration ministries with him.
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The swearing-in ceremony was attended by a host of leaders including half a dozen chief ministers and a former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.
