PATNA: In less than 24 hours after resigning from the CM’s post last evening, Mr Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar Chief Minister this morning, thereby forming the NDA Government in the state.
Acting Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Kumar as Chief Minister at a simple function organised at Raj Bhawan.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was also administered the oath of office and secrecy as Minister.
Other leaders of the JD(U), BJP, LJP and RLSP would also be inducted in the Cabinet soon.
List of their names is being finalised.
Mr Modi, after taking oath, told media persons that the new government would work towards accelerating pace of development of Bihar.
” List of names of Legislators to be inducted in the Cabinet is being finalised, ” Mr Modi said adding expansion of the Cabinet would be effected soon.
Mr Modi, however, refused to comment on the size of the Cabinet, saying it had not been decided as yet. Discussion with senior leaders would be held to finalise the names to be inducted in the Cabinet. Last evening Mr Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister citing culmination of the ongoing uncertainties of the Grand Alliance government as the reason, while the BJP swiftly offered him support to lead a new dispensation.
To facilitate the formation of a JD(U)-BJP government Mr Kumar was also elected the leader of the NDA Legislative party.
Mr Kumar told media yesterday that he had tried his best to find ways to break the deadlock which cropped up after the CBI lodged an FIR against his deputy and Lalu Prasad’s son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav in the Railways Hotels tender scam.
The deadlock between the JD(U) and the RJD, the two constituents of ruling Grand Alliance, over the demand for fact-based reply from Tejaswi Prasad Yadav following the FIR against him by the CBI continued for two weeks and Mr Nitish Kumar finally resigned last evening.
Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad last night dared Mr Kumar to face the electorate on moral ground after resigning from the post of Chief Minister.
Mr Prasad in his official Twitter account said, ” Mr Kumar who always talks about morality and corruption should face the electorate.
He would know how many people are with him on the issues of morality and corruption. “
In another tweet, he said, ” Grand Alliance received a massive mandate against the BJP. Now Mr Kumar would establish a new record of morality by running the Government with same BJP. ” (AGENCIES)
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