The alliance won 125 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats, three above the halfway mark.
New Delhi:
Nitish Kumar will be Bihar’s chief minister for a fourth consecutive term, the NDA said today after a meeting of its lawmakers. The NDA, which won the recently concluded elections in Bihar with a slim majority, will now approach the governor to demand the formation of the government, sources said. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place tomorrow, sources said.
The alliance won 125 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats, three above the halfway mark.
Ruling alliance lawmakers officially named Mr Kumar today amid speculation about a change.
Chief Minister Janata Dal United delivered an appalling performance, dropping from 71 seats won in 2015 to 43, giving the BJP – which won an unprecedented 74 seats – the upper hand in the alliance.
While the BJP had declared before and after the election that Mr Kumar would remain its top ministerial candidate, a section within the BJP argued that this should not be taken for granted in view of the JD’s disastrous performance (U ).
Mr Kumar had betrayed some nervousness last week, telling media that the NDA was going to take a call on the prime minister candidate.
