Nitish Kumar met Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday to formally claim the right to form the next state government, following the Janata Dal (United)’s strong performance in last week’s Assembly polls. The veteran leader is set to be sworn in yet again as Chief Minister on Thursday.

According to sources, the oath-taking ceremony will also see 22 ministers join the new cabinet. The event in Patna is expected to be a high-profile affair, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance — a clear signal that the BJP-JDU partnership remains firmly intact. Chief ministers from BJP-governed states are likely to make an appearance as well, adding to the political spectacle.

Of the 22 ministers, nine are expected to come from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The probable list includes outgoing Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, along with former Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi. Eight of the nine BJP names served in the previous government.

One ministerial berth each is likely to be given to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awami Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Like the JDU, the LJP performed strongly in the polls, securing 19 of the 28 seats it contested — a strike rate even higher than Nitish Kumar’s party. With the JDU once again emerging as the senior partner in its alliance with the BJP, it is expected to retain the maximum number of cabinet posts. Sources indicate that 10 JDU MLAs — including eight ministers from the previous administration — are likely to be inducted.

Barring any unforeseen developments before Thursday afternoon, Nitish Kumar will begin his tenth term as Bihar’s Chief Minister — an unprecedented milestone. Known for his political adaptability and strategic realignments, the JDU chief is already India’s eighth longest-serving chief minister. Should he complete this term, he would surpass former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling to become the longest-serving in the country’s history.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance registered a sweeping victory in the Bihar election, winning 202 of 243 seats. The opposition Mahagathbandhan — comprising the RJD, Congress, the Vikassheel Insaan Party, and Left parties — was reduced to a meagre 35 seats. For perspective, the RJD alone had won 75 seats in 2015 while the full alliance had secured 110.

Meanwhile, political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, contesting its first election, failed to make an impact. The party did not win a single seat out of the 238 it contested and managed less than four per cent of the total vote share. Kishor told NDTV that despite the disappointing debut, he intends to continue with his political journey.