Patna, Feb 22 (IANS) Nitish Kumar Sunday returned as Bihar chief minister, nine months after he resigned following his party JD-U's massive defeat in the 2014 general elections. Party leaders said he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek more funds to speed up development work in the state.
The 66-year-old Janata Dal-United leader was administered the oath of office as the 24th chief minister of Bihar by Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi.
Along with Nitish Kumar, 22 ministers also took oath at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan here. Most of the ministers were in his earlier cabinet and are considered loyal and trusted.
This will be Nitish Kumar's fourth time as chief minister.
Nitish Kumar had resigned as chief minister last year after the JD-U's rout in the Lok Sabha polls. Jitan Ram Manjhi, who was made chief minister in May 2014, resigned Feb 20 after a political row in the state.
JD-U leaders said Nitish Kumar will seek a meeting with Modi in the first week of March to request more funds for the state's economic development.
"Governor K.N. Tripathi, who administered oath to Nitish Kumar and his ministers, directed the new government to seek a confidence vote in the assembly in March," officials said.
The party's national general secretary K.C. Tyagi said Nitish Kumar will meet Modi for the sake of Bihar's development.
"Nitish Kumar will certainly meet Modi soon," Tyagi told media persons ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.
JD-U state president Vashisht Narain Singh told IANS: "There is a need for more cooperation from the central government for the state's development. Nitish Kumar will meet Modi soon."
Those who were inducted into his cabinet were Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Yadav, Ramai Ram, Ramlashan Ram Raman, Damodar Rawat, P.K. Shahi, Shyam Razak, Lesi Singh, Dular Chandra Goswami, Awadesh Narain Kushwaha, Lalan Singh, Sharvan Kumar, Ramdhani Singh, Jai Kumar Singh, Baidnath Shahni, Bima Bharti, Ranju Gita, Narendra Narain Yadav, Naushad Alam, Ninod Yadav, Manoj Singh Kushwaha, and Jawed Iqbal Ansari.
Several of the new ministers touched Nitish Kumar's feet after they took oath.
Former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, JD-U president Sharad Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former Bihar chief minister Manjhi and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi attended the swearing-in function.
Nitish Kumar had last year snapped ties with long-time ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after Narendra Modi was named the party's prime ministerial candidate. This proved counter-productive and resulted in the JD-U's rout in the Lok Sabha polls.
Born in 1951, Nitish Kumar was elected to the Bihar assembly for the first time in 1985. He became president of the Yuva Lok Dal in 1987 and secretary general of the then undivided Janata Dal two years later.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 and went on to win five parliamentary elections from Bihar.
A minister of state in the V.P. Singh government, he became railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but resigned when a train disaster claimed the lives of about 250 people.
He returned to the cabinet as minister for surface transport and agriculture.
Nitish Kumar Feb 20 publicly apologised to the people of Bihar for his "mistake" for having resigned as chief minister last year.
"I admit that I made a mistake by resigning as chief minister. I publicly apologise for it to the people of Bihar. Please forgive me, as I will not repeat my mistake," he said at a press conference.
In the 243-member assembly, the JD-U has 115 legislators. The party has the support of 24 Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators, five Congress legislators, two independents and a Communist Party of India legislator.
The BJP has 88 legislators and is supported by three Independents.
Congress came out with 5:4 formula for reconciliation between Gehlot and Pilot, Sonia Gandhi took charge
In Rajasthan, there is a political tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. The interim president of the party, Sonia Gandhi, has now taken over the
Containment zone declared, 4 colonies sealed
Two days ago, after 3 people found corona positive in Vidya Nagar, the district administration has swung into action and sealed all these, including Vidya Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Vikas Nagar and Nai Basti
Pushkar Singh Dhami Oath Ceremony: Pushkar Singh Dhami will take oath as CM today at 2.30 pm, PM Modi will also be present
Pushkar Singh Dhami will take oath as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for the second consecutive time on Wednesday. Dhami will be the 12th Chief Minister of the state. This program is being
Feels great to start WC with win: Mushfiqur Rahim
Canberra, Feb 18 (IANS) Adjudged Man-of-the-Match, Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim says it is a “great feeling” to start the World Cup on a winning note after beating Afghanistan by
AAP Manifesto: 'From Mahila Samman Yojana to Employment Guarantee', Kejriwal released the election manifesto of 15 guarantees
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday released the manifesto for the Delhi Assembly elections from the party headquarters. Aam Aadmi Party has tried to woo various sections through
Retail Inflation: India tops the 12 major countries in retail inflation, and aims to increase rates worldwide
India remains at the top of the world's top 12 countries amid the ever-increasing challenge on the inflation front. Retail inflation in India remained above 7 percent in June, while it was lower in 12
Sammy, Mooney fined for inappropriate language
Nelson (New Zealand), Feb 16 (IANS) West Indies batsman Darren Sammy and Ireland bowler John Mooney were Monday fined 30 percent of their match fees for violating Level 1 Article 2.1.4 of the
Ramnath Kovind: So Kovind will be Sonia Gandhi's neighbor, know how much pension and facilities will be available after retirement?
President Ram Nath Kovind's term ends on July 24. On July 23, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is organizing a farewell ceremony in his honor at the Central Hall, Parliament House. During this, President
Delhi School Closed: All Delhi-based private-government schools closed, Delhi government's decision amid rising corona
New Delhi
Paresh Rawal reacted to the controversy surrounding the release of 'The Taj Story', saying, '22,000 people's hands were chopped off.'
Paresh Rawal is in the news these days. The reason is his upcoming film, "The Taj Story," which is facing controversy surrounding its release. The actor has expressed his opinion on the film, stating
