| Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar was today sworn in as the 33rd chief minister of Bihar at a massive ceremony at Gandhi Maidan as the head of a 27-member National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, marking the smooth transition of power. |
| Kumar had yesterday said his ministry would comprise 12- 13 people, to be expanded later. But what was announced today was a 26-member council of ministers with as many as 16 Cabinet ministers. |
| As the total number of ministers in a state cannot exceed 15 per cent of the strength of the Assembly (247) , Kumar can add only 10 more ministers to his council of ministers. |
| But it was clear before the swearing-in and as the list of ministers was being finalised, that there were many claimants. |
| Bihar headquarters of the BJP was a study in confusion and embarrassment as aggressive supporters of various MLAs clashed at the party office when they learnt that their MLAs were not being made ministers. |
| Just one hour before the scheduled swearing-in ceremony, supporters of a senior party MLA from Aurangabad and a few others, who were not likely to be inducted in the first phase, jostled and clashed with those who tried to disperse them. |
| Senior party leaders remained inside the office and lower functionaries tried to placate supporters. Angry BJP activists were also seen carrying sticks while trying to force their way inside the party office where top BJP leaders, including vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, general secretary and in-charge of Bihar affairs Arun Jaitley were reportedly engaged in discussions. |
| Kumar |
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