Newly-elected NDA MLAs to meet on November 15 to pick Bihar CM, stake claim, says Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar, who heads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, said on November 13 that the newly-elected NDA legislators will meet on November 15, Sunday, to decide upon their leader and then stake claim to form the government.

Kumar was speaking to media persons after a meeting of the leaders of the four NDA constituents in Bihar--the JD(U), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) at the CM's residence.

"We sat together and decided to convene a meeting of elected legislators of all the four partners on November 15 at 12.30pm. All decisions will be taken in that meeting. After the meeting and election of the NDA leader, we will stake claim to form the government," Kumar said, according to The Hindustan Times.

Meanwhile, he informed that the outgoing Cabinet will be meeting today evening to recommend the dissolution of the Assembly.

Despite the BJP emerging as the largest party in the ruling alliance with 74 seats, 31 more than the JD(U), the top leadership of the saffron party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has emphatically endorsed Kumar as the next chief minister. Kumar's election as the leader of the alliance, therefore, remains a mere formality.