Patna: Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar will on Sunday take oath as chief minister of Bihar for fourth time on Sunday.
Among the confirmed attendees for the oath ceremony is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"Nitishji has invited me to his oath-taking ceremony on Sunday. Yes I am attending. Looking forward", Banerjee said in a statement issued in Kolkata.
Sources also said that Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav was likely to attend the oath ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
Kumar has also invited Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and JD(S) chief HD Devegowda among others over telephone for the oath function.
Kumar will be sworn-in by Governor KN Tripathi.
JD(U) allies RJD, Congress and CPI however are yet to take a decision on joining the government.
RJD which has 24 members, Congress 5, CPI 1 and an independent stood solidly behind Kumar throughout the political crisis and its MLAs joined JD(U) legislators to take the total to 130. The members were present both at the Raj Bhavan and outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi to prove their numbers.
"Congress will take a decision (on joining the government) after Nitish Kumar proves his majority on the floor of the House," said Bihar PCC president Ashok Choudhary.
He said he has acquainted the party high command with the latest political situation in the state and would act according to instructions received from it after the trust vote.
Choudhary, however, said Congress support to Kumar was already there irrespective of the fact whether it joins his ministry or not.
CLP leader Sadanand Singh echoed similar views.
RJD state president Ram Chandra Purbe said party chief Lalu Prasad would take a decision on the matter.
"These are policy decisions for which Lalu Prasad is authorised to take a decision," Purbe told PTI and added that Prasad would be present at Kumar's swearing in ceremony tomorrow.
Lone CPI MLA Subodh Roy also said party would take the decision on whether to join ministry or continue support from outside.
Independent member Dulal Chand Goswami is all set to be part of the ministry.
Nitish Kumar's ascent to the CM's chair was made possible after the dramatic exit of Jitan Ram Manjhi, less than an hour before a confidence vote in the state assembly on Friday.
With numbers on his side Nitish Kumar later that day met the state's Governor and staked claim to form the next government.
Manjhi was picked by Nitish Kumar as his replacement when he quit last year after the JD(U)`s rout in the Lok Sabha polls.
In the 243-member assembly, the JD(U) has 115 legislators - most of whom are with Nitish Kumar. The party has the support of 24 Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators, five Congress legislators, two independents and a Communist Party of India legislator.
The BJP has 88 legislators and is supported by three Independents.
(With Agency Inputs)
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