On Thursday, after days of silence following the Mahagathbandhan’s crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav finally issued his first public reaction ahead of Nitish Kumar taking oath as chief minister for a record tenth time.
Notably, RJD was reduced to just 35 seats, while the NDA roared back with 202 out of 243.
ALSO READ| Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for record 10th time; 26 ministers join new cabinet
What Tejashwi said
“Heartfelt congratulations to the esteemed Shri Nitish Kumar Ji on taking the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Bihar. Heartfelt best wishes to all the ministers of the Bihar government who took the oath as members of the Council of Ministers,” Tejaswi wrote in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter).
“I hope that the new government will live up to the hopes and expectations of responsible people, fulfill its promises and declarations, and bring positive and qualitative changes in the lives of the people of Bihar.”
Tejashwi’s words apparently reflect the mood inside the RJD camp after a defeat that has triggered intense introspection, especially since many within the party had expected a far closer contest.
Nitish returns, NDA sweeps
Nitish Kumar, now 74, took oath on Thursday at Patna’s iconic Gandhi Maidan, reclaiming the top post once again after leading the NDA to a landslide win. Alongside him, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were sworn in as Deputy CMs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, senior BJP leaders, and the top brass of the NDA were observed the event. Also, a total of 24 ministers were administered the oath by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.
ALSO READ| Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ claims draw sharp rebuke from 272 prominent citizens
With 89 seats, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, followed closely by JD(U) with 85. LJP (Ram Vilas) bagged 19, HAMS 5, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha 4, taking the alliance tally to a formidable 202.
On the other side, the RJD managed just 25, Congress 6, CPI(ML)L 2, IIP 1, and CPI(M) 1. AIMIM secured 5 seats, while BSP won one.
