Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Thursday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 32 ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
The expansion, which came months after the formation of the NDA government in Bihar, took the total strength of the Cabinet to 35, one short of the maximum permitted limit of 36 ministers.
After attending the swearing-in ceremony, PM Modi held a roadshow in Patna.
Of the newly inducted ministers, 15 are from the BJP, 13 from the JD(U), two from the LJP (Ram Vilas) and one each from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Senior BJP leaders, Union ministers and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar were also present at the oath-taking ceremony. Governor Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath to the ministers in multiple batches.
The first group of ministers sworn in included Shrawan Kumar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dilip Jaiswal, Lesi Singh and Nishant Kumar. Nishant Kumar was seen taking blessings from his father Nitish Kumar before taking the oath.
The Cabinet expansion has drawn attention for the induction of sons of three former Bihar CMs. Nishant Kumar, making his ministerial debut without being a member of either House of the legislature, is the son of Nitish Kumar. BJP leader Nitish Mishra is the son of former CM Jagannath Mishra, while Santosh Kumar Suman is the son of Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.
The expansion also reflected a gradual generational shift in Bihar politics, with the NDA bringing in several first-time ministers alongside experienced leaders. Seven new faces have been included in the Cabinet.
Among the fresh entrants are BJP leaders Mithilesh Tiwari, Nand Kishore Ram, Shailendra Kumar and Ramchandra Ram, along with JD(U) leaders Nishant Kumar, Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal and Shweta Gupta. The Cabinet has five women ministers — three from the JD(U) and two from the BJP.
Former Bihar minister and BJP leader Mangal Pandey was among the notable exclusions from the new Cabinet, amid indications that he may be assigned a larger organisational role at the national level. BJP leaders Narayan Prasad and Surendra Mehta, who were ministers in the previous government, also did not find a place in the expanded Cabinet. Nineteen ministers from the earlier Cabinet have been retained.
The expansion came months after the NDA secured a massive victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, winning 202 of the 243 seats. The BJP emerged with 89 seats, while the JD(U) secured 85. The LJP (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats, HAM(S) five and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha four.
