Bihar cabinet expansion: Nitish's son Nishant gets health ministry as NDA inducts 32 ministers

New Delhi: Twenty-two days after the formation of the Samrat Choudhary-led government in Bihar, the cabinet expansion took place on Thursday in a grand ceremony at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Bihar Governor Syed Atta Hasnain administered the oath to 15 ministers from the BJP, 13 from the JDU, two from the LJP (RV), and one each from the HAM and RLP, taking the total number of ministers, including the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers, to 35.

Bihar can have a maximum of 36 ministers. In the current setup, the BJP has 16 ministers, the JDU 15, the LJP (RV) two, while the HAM and RLP have one each. Numerically as well, the BJP has now emerged as the leading force within the NDA in Bihar.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, BJP president Nitin Nabin, and other NDA leaders were present at the oath ceremony. PM Modi also held a roadshow from Patna airport to Gandhi Maidan, where the ceremony was held.

The highlight of the new cabinet was the induction of former chief minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, into the Choudhary cabinet. Four days ago, Nishant had launched 'Sadbhav Yatra' to meet grassroots workers across the state in phases. After initial reluctance, JDU leaders persuaded him to join the cabinet, and Nishant eventually became part of the NDA government. Nishant is not a member of either House, similar to Deepak Prakash, son of Upendra Kushwaha, who also took oath as a minister. Sources told ET that Nishant would be nominated to the MLC seat vacated by his father, while Prakash would get the seat vacated by former MLC Mangal Pandey.

Among the BJP's 15 ministers, the party replaced three faces who had become ministers in November last year with new entrants. Mangal Pandey has been dropped from the cabinet, and it is widely believed that he may join BJP's national team under Nabin. BJP also dropped Surendra Prasad and Narayan Prasad, who were part of Nitish's cabinet. The party inducted five new faces - Kedar Gupta, Mithilesh Tiwari, Ramchandra Prasad, Nand Kishor Ram, and Shailendra Kumar. It also brought back former minister Nitish Mishra, who had earlier been dropped from Nitish's cabinet. BJP has included two women ministers - Rama Nishad and Shreyasi Singh.

From JDU, six ministers who were part of Nitish's cabinet retained their positions in the current cabinet. Additionally, the party gave opportunities to seven new faces, including Nishant Kumar. Some among them had served as ministers in previous governments. Bulo Mandal, who switched sides from RJD, was also inducted as a minister.

The ministers from LJP (RV), HAM, and RLP who had taken oath with Nitish in 2025 have been retained.

Also Read: Bihar cabinet expansion: BJP gets 15 berths, JD(U) 13; Nitish Kumar's son to debut as minister

Caste equations and youthful energy appear to be the two key factors the NDA government considered while forming the new cabinet. Nine ministers belong to the EBC, OBC, and upper-caste categories, while seven ministers represent the SC community. Mohammad Zama Khan is the lone minority minister in the new cabinet. Nitish Kumar congratulated all the newly inducted ministers who took oath on Thursday.

Portfolio allocation was also done in the evening post the cabinet expansion. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has retained the crucial Home and General Administration departments.

Finance has gone to deputy CM Bijendra Prasad Yadav, while the other deputy CM, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, has been entrusted with Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs, signalling continuity in key infrastructure and legislative management sectors.

Nishant Kumar is the new health minister. Shravan Kumar has been allocated Rural Development and Information & Public Relations. BJP leader Nitish Mishra has been given Urban Development and Information Technology, Education has been handed to Mithilesh Tiwari.