Nitish recommends House dissolution, to take oath as CM for 10th time on November 20; Modi to attend

The oath taking ceremony at the historic Gandhi Maidan will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday chaired a Cabinet meeting, the last of the outgoing government, and recommended dissolution of the 17th Vidhan Sabha with effect from November 19.

Later he met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at the Raj Bhawan and briefed him about the Cabinet recommendation and his decision to resign on November 19.

The process to constitute the 18th Vidhan Sabha began on Sunday evening with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal briefing the Governor about the Bihar election.

He also handed over the list of all the 243 newly-elected members to the Governor. The EC also issued a notification related to the end of the model code of conduct.

Meanwhile, the new government, headed by Nitish, will take oath on November 20 at the historic Gandhi Maidan and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled States.

The NDA, which stormed to power on November 14, romping home in 202 out of 243 constituencies, will have 34 ministers in the Nitish Cabinet, who will be administered the oath on Thursday.

This will include 15 ministers from the BJP, 14 from the JD (U), three from the LJP (R) and one each from the Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM (Hindustan Awam Morcha) and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM (Rashtriya Lok Morcha).

Notably, the JD(U) and the BJP won 85 and 89 seats respectively while the other three allies: the LJP (R), HAM and the RLM won 19, 5 and 4 seats respectively.

As per the formula adopted for ministers from each alliance partner, it has been decided that there will be one minister for every six MLAs.

Tejashwi elected LoP

Meanwhile, the newly-elected members of the RJD met at the residence of Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav at his 1, Polo Road residence, and elected him as the Leader of the Opposition.

As per the law, a party should have at least 10 per cent of the MLAs out of total strength of the House before being declared as Leader of the Opposition.

The RJD could win merely 25 seats in the 243-member House, thereby enabling Tejashwi to retain his post. The Opposition CM face himself scraped through from his bastion Raghopur by merely 14,352 votes after trailing behind BJP’s Satish Kumar for long.