Nitish set to continue as CM; swearing-in likely Nov 19–20

Nitish Kumar will remain the chief minister of Bihar, sources have indicated, with the formation of the new state government expected in another three days after the cabinet formula was finalised at a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Nitish Kumar did not contest the 2025 Bihar assembly election and is instead a member of the state’s Legislative Council, the upper house. Ever since taking over the CM chair, he has never contested elections. The last time he was a member of the Bihar legislative assembly was in 1985, when he won the Harnaut seat.
The swearing-in ceremony of the Bihar NDA government is expected to be held either on November 19 or 20, sources said, with the final date depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schedule.
The BJP is likely to have the lion’s share in the cabinet, followed by the JDU, with even the smaller allies being accommodated in the cabinet plan. The NDA followed a ‘one minister for every six MLAs’ formula for deciding the cabinet plan, said sources.
The BJP is expected to get 15 or 16 ministerial berths and the JDU 14, sources said.
The NDA had won the Bihar elections with a massive mandate, with both the JDU and the BJP scoring way better than their 2020 performance.
The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, followed by JDU with 85 seats. Even their smaller allies, like the LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM, performed well.
The process to form the government gathers momentum with the issuance of the notification for constituting the 18th Bihar Assembly.
The Election Commission will brief Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on the final results, after which the Model Code of Conduct will come to an end.
Nitish Kumar has called a cabinet meeting on Monday.
The dissolution of the outgoing 17th Assembly is likely to be approved at the meeting.
Once the resolution is passed, Kumar will submit his resignation to Governor Khan, clearing the way for the next phase of government formation.
The NDA’s constituent parties will then hold their legislature party meetings to elect the alliance’s leader and then stake claim to form the new government.
Preparations are already underway at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan for what is expected to be a major show of strength by the NDA, with an extensive lineup of leaders poised to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Nitish Kumar, a record 10th time.