Bihar's Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, undertook the expansion of his cabinet on Friday, a move that comes less than two months after its formation, bringing in 21 new ministers.
With these additions, the total number of ministers now stands at 30, just six short of the state's constitutional limit.
The swearing-in ceremony, held within the precincts of the Raj Bhavan, witnessed 12 members from the ally BJP and nine from the chief minister's JD(U) taking the oath of office, administered by Governor Rajendra Arlekar.
Among the attendees were dignitaries such as the chief minister himself, along with his deputies, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. The event was marked by fervent slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram', 'Narendra Modi Zindabad', and 'Abki baar 400 paar', reflecting the jubilation of BJP leaders at their return to power in the state, which also augments their prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
While most JD(U) appointees, except Maheshwar Hazari who resigned as the assembly’s deputy speaker last month, are former ministers from the previous Mahagathbandhan government, the BJP has chosen a blend of experienced leaders and fresh faces.
Notable BJP entrants include Renu Devi, formerly a deputy CM until Kumar's withdrawal from the alliance in August 2022, and her former cabinet colleagues Mangal Pandey, Nitin Nabin, Neeraj Kumar Singh ‘Bablu’, and Janak Ram.
Another significant addition from the BJP is Nitish Mishra, son of the late Jagannath Mishra, a renowned Congress leader and thrice chief minister of Bihar. Mishra, formerly with the JD(U), had previously served as a cabinet minister from the JD(U) quota.
Additionally, BJP leaders such as Hari Sahni, Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Kedar Prasad Gupta, Krishnannandan Paswan, Surendra Mehta, and Santosh Kumar Singh have secured ministerial positions for the first time.
From the JD(U), the new appointees include Mohd Zama Khan, the only Muslim representative in the NDA cabinet, and the chief minister's confidant Ashok Choudhary.
Returning JD(U) ministers comprise Leshi Singh, Sheela Mandal, Madan Sahni, Ratnesh Sada, Sunil Kumar Singh, and Jayant Raj.
Prior to the expansion, the state cabinet formed at the end of January comprised four JD(U) ministers, including the chief minister, and three from the BJP, two of whom were designated as deputy CMs.
Among the other JD(U) ministers are Bijendra Yadav, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, and Shravan Kumar. Additionally, Prem Kumar from the BJP, who previously held a cabinet position until 2020, returned as a minister in January.
Moreover, Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh and Santosh Suman, whose father Jitan Ram Manjhi leads the four-MLA-strong Hindustani Awam Morcha, have been appointed as ministers.
Notably, none of the seven defectors from the Congress-RJD alliance, who switched sides during the budget session of the assembly last month, were considered for ministerial roles.
Several prominent BJP leaders who held cabinet positions in the previous NDA government, including Tarkishor Prasad, the former deputy CM, and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, the party's well-known Muslim representative, have been excluded.
The newly appointed ministers include six Dalits, two from the BJP and four from the JD(U). Moreover, both parties appear to have given importance to their respective support bases among non-Yadav OBCs and the upper castes.
In a statement, senior BJP leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi commended his former boss for "promoting female empowerment with the inclusion of three women" in the cabinet.
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