PM Modi’s Signature ‘Gamcha’ Wave Marks Nitish Kumar’s 10th Oath-Taking In Patna | Watch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his visit to Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Thursday with his characteristic ‘gamcha’ wave to the crowd, moments after Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record tenth time. The gesture, now familiar at several of Modi’s public appearances, drew loud cheers as the Prime Minister boarded his helicopter following the ceremony.

Nitish Kumar took oath at 11:30 am, with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administering the oath of office and secrecy at the historic venue.

Patna, Bihar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves his ‘gamchha’ at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, following the oath-taking ceremony of CM Nitish Kumar and his cabinet pic.twitter.com/KYXQXOazV2

— IANS (@ians_india) November 20, 2025

Congratulating

him shortly after the ceremony, PM Modi wrote on X, “Congratulations to Shri Nitish Kumar Ji on taking oath as Bihar’s Chief Minister. He is an experienced administrator with a proven track record of good governance for many years. My best wishes to him for his tenure ahead.”

Modi arrived at Patna Airport around 11 am. and flew directly to the oath-taking venue. This is the first time the Prime Minister has attended a swearing-in of Nitish Kumar, despite the JD(U) leader having taken oath five times since Modi assumed office in 2014. Kumar has held the Chief Minister’s post under both the NDA and the Grand Alliance during this period, making today’s oath his tenth overall — a rare milestone in Indian politics.

Soon after Nitish Kumar, former Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha were administered the oath. Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal, Shravan Kumar, and Bijendra Yadav were among those sworn in as part of the new cabinet. The Prime Minister congratulated all the newly inducted members before departing the venue.