India, Nov. 20 -- Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the chief minister of Bihar for a record 10th time on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony, held at Patna's iconic Gandhi Maidan, began at 11.30 am amid tight security and the presence of top national leaders.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kumar, a day after he formally staked claim to form the new NDA government in the state.

The JD(U) chief, who led the alliance to a sweeping victory in the recent assembly elections, was accompanied on stage by senior NDA lawmakers and party leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, defence minister Rajnath Singh and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan were a...