Patna: Patna’s Gandhi Maidan turned festive on Thursday morning as Bhojpuri superstars Manoj Tiwari and Pawan Singh delivered high-energy performances to open the grand swearing-in ceremony for Nitish Kumar’s expected return as Bihar’s chief minister.
The two performers, both BJP star campaigners, took centre stage ahead of the formal proceedings, drawing huge cheers from supporters gathered since early morning. Their musical set marked an unconventional yet crowd-pleasing start to what will be one of the largest political ceremonies the state has seen in recent years.
The performances created a charged atmosphere as political heavyweights began to arrive. Chief ministers Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis and N Chandrababu Naidu were among the first to take their seats on the main stage, joined by leaders from Haryana, Assam, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Delhi and Rajasthan.
Nitish Kumar is expected to take oath shortly for his tenth term as chief minister, with Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha set to be sworn in as deputy chief ministers.
Under SPG supervision, security was tightened across Gandhi Maidan and surrounding areas, with traffic restrictions in place throughout the morning.
As crowds surged and dignitaries arrived, the opening act by Tiwari and Singh set the tone for a high-profile political event that blends spectacle, celebration and shifting alliances in Bihar’s political landscape.
