Nitish takes charge

A new chapter: Old faithfuls and fresh faces inducted into team

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister.
A galaxy of top-rung Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (U) leaders, including L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Sharad Yadav, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Shatrughan Sinha and Jagannath Mishra were present.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the historic Gandhi Maidan from where Nitish’s mentor late Jaiprakash Narayan had given a call for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution) and had waged a battle against the ‘dictatorship’ of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-70s.

Altogether, 18 ministers from JD (U) and 11 from the BJP were administered the oath of office. Though 36 ministers could be accommodated as per the new law, sources said the vacant berths would be filled in later.

The new team was a perfect blend of old faithfuls and fresh faces. While Vijyendra Yadav, Narendra Singh, Nand Kishore Yadav and Ashwani Choubey were retained, young turks like Nitish Mishra, son of former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, also found berth in the ministry.

Among the three woman ministers, two are new. Parveen Amanullah, wife of Cabinet Secretary Afzal Amanullah, was the surprise element as she has made her debut as a JD (U) legislator from Sahebpur Kamal.

The other woman was Sukhda Pandey, the BJP MLA who is a former Patna University teacher. Renu Kumari was third woman minister, but she had been part of the previous regime too.

Besides, three turncoats - Ramai Ram, Shyam Razak and Bhim Singh -  who had earlier deserted Lalu, were also sworn in as ministers. 

Another surprise element was the induction of Advocate General P K Shahi as a minister.

5 JD(U) MPs skip swearing-in ceremony

At least five JD(U) MPs skipped the swearing-in of Nitish Kumar, reports DHNS from New Delhi.

Those who missed out included senior leader Captain Jainarayan Nishad, who belongs to the Extremely Backward Class; the class which has helped Nitish Kumar win a historic victory.