Patna, Nov. 20 -- JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Wednesday staked his claim to the Governor for forming the new government soon after being elected the legislature party leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Kumar, 75, first resigned as CM and then submitted the proposal to stake claim, carrying a letter of support from all NDA partners, which won 201 seats in the 243-member Assembly in the recently concluded state polls. BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, LJP-R chief Chirag Paswan, HAM-S chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha accompanied him to the Raj Bhawan in an exhibition of NDA cohesion that proved crucial for the unprecedented landslide victory. He will be sworn-in as CM for a record 10th time by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, the eighth Governor to administer oath to him, at the state capital's historic Gandhi Maidan at 11.30 am on Thursday in the presence of PM Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and other senior party leaders and CMs from different states. This will be fourth time Nitish will be sworn-in at Gandhi Maidan since 2005. Preparations are in full swing at the venue and traffic advisories have been issued by the administration, as a large gathering is expected at the venue. The number of ministers to be sworn-in with Nitish and his two deputies is, however, not yet clear. Bihar can have a maximum of 36 ministers. Though the name of Nitish Kumar was unanimous choice in the NDA from the outset, the formality of the NDA legislature party meet was completed after the BJP and the JD(U) separately elected their legislature party leaders earlier in the day. Nitish Kumar's name was proposed by Samarat Choudhary following which the MLAs unanimously voted in favour. Speaking at the NDA CLP meet, where he was garlanded after his election, Nitish said the state had changed a lot since he took over and it would further develop in the coming days as the Central assistance had also increased. "Did the previous government do anything? We started work since 2006 and this time we have to together do even more. Prime Minister and others have also been coming to Bihar frequently and there has been a lot of Central help," he added. While Nitish was elected JD(U) LP leader, BJP elected both deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party to clear the decks for their continuance in the same position for the second time. "Choudhary has been elected leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha deputy leader unanimously. They are a hot pair with Nitish Kumar," said BJP observer and deputy CM of UP Keshav Prasad Maurya....