Bihar: Nitish takes stock of preparations for swearing-in ceremony of new govt

Patna, Nov 18 (PTI) JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar on Tuesday took stock of preparations for the oath-taking ceremony of the new government in Bihar, which is scheduled to take place at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan on November 20.

Kumar, who is set to take oath for a record 10th time, was accompanied by Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, among others.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several other Union ministers and CMs of NDA-ruled states are expected to attend the ceremony.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the state capital and around Gandhi Maidan, where the event will be held, officials said.

There is also a complete ban on public entry into Gandhi Maidan till November 20, they said.

Meanwhile, intense lobbying is underway among the NDA partners to finalise allocation of cabinet berths, and a build a consensus over the post of Assembly Speaker ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.

Both the BJP and the JD(U) have staked claim for the post of Speaker, sources said.

JD(U)'s Vijay Choudhary and BJP's Prem Kumar are considered front-runners for the post, they said.

In the outgoing assembly, BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav served as Speaker, while JD(U)'s Narendra Narayan Yadav held the position of Deputy Speaker.

Nitish Kumar will submit his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan as head of the outgoing government on November 19, and the current assembly will be dissolved the same day, the sources said.

The JD(U) and BJP will also elect their legislature party leaders on November 19.

The NDA stormed to power in Bihar, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly, with BJP bagging 89, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5 and RLM 4. PTI PKD RBT