Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar has staked a claim to form the government in Bihar after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept 202 assembly constituencies. He met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday and tendered his resignation as the Chief Minister.

Kumar will return as the Bihar Chief Minister today for the 10th time after taking oath at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan, where Jayaprakash Narayan called for “total revolution” during a speech in 1974. Earlier in the day, Kumar was unanimously elected as the legislative leader of the NDA, a day before the swearing-in ceremony.

He was also elected leader of the JD(U) legislative party at a meeting held at his residence in Patna. Along with Kumar’s deputies Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and Bihar BJP president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal were present on the occasion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other prominent NDA leaders will attend the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for tomorrow. Several Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled states are also expected to attend.

The NDA registered a historic landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls, winning 202 of the 243 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured only 35 seats. This marks the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-seat mark in state polls, the first being in 2010 when it won 206 seats.

Among NDA constituents, the BJP won 89 seats, JD(U) 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha four seats. On the opposition side, the RJD won 25 seats, the Congress six, CPI(ML)(L) two, the Indian Inclusive Party one, and CPI(M) one seat.

The AIMIM secured five seats, while the BSP won one. The Bihar assembly elections were held in two phases on November 6 and 11, recording a historic 67.13 per cent voter turnout — the highest since 1951 — with women voters outpacing men (71.6% vs 62.8%).