Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday congratulated JDU leader Nitish Kumar and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav on taking oath as Bihar's chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively.

"Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Shri Nitish Kumarji for taking oath as the chief minister of Bihar and Shri Tejashwi Yadavji as the deputy chief minister," he said in a Hindi tweet.

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took oath as Bihar chief minister for the eight time in a ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Patna. RJD's Tejashwi Yadav was administered the oath of office as deputy chief minister.

The no-frills ceremony comes a day after Nitish snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD to form a 'Mahagathbandhan' government.

Stripped of power in Bihar, the BJP on Wednesday staged a massive demonstration condemning the betrayal of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose similar volte- face five years ago had helped it join the government through the proverbial back door.

Nitish Kumar, who was once the bete noire of Yadav, had allied with him before the 2015 assembly polls in Bihar and the alliance swept the elections. Now again seven years later, he has joined hands with the RJD after breaking his alliance with the BJP.

The 71-year-old JD(U) leader first took oath as chief minister in 2000, when he headed an NDA government that lasted only a week.

Nitish was sworn in for the seventh time in November 2020, when the NDA retained power, though his own party saw a major fall in its tally for which it blamed a conspiracy by the BJP.