Nitish Kumar expands his cabinet as 7 new members took oath | See List

In a strategic political move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November, the Nitish Kumar-led government expanded its cabinet on Tuesday, inducting seven new ministers. With this, the total strength of the Bihar cabinet has reached 36 ministers. The swearing-in ceremony was conducted at 4 PM, with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administering the oath to the new ministers at Raj Bhavan. The first leader to take the oath was BJP MLA Sanjay Saraogi, followed by Sunil Kumar.

Next in line was Jeevesh Mishra, the MLA from Jale constituency in Darbhanga. Known for his outspoken nature, Mishra took his oath in Maithili language, emphasizing his cultural roots. BJP MLA Raju Singh, representing the Sahebganj constituency in Muzaffarpur district, was also sworn in. Singh belongs to the Rajput community, a key voter base for the BJP.

Further strengthening its caste equations, the BJP inducted Motilal Prasad, an MLA from Riga in Sitamarhi. He replaced Dilip Jaiswal in the cabinet and belongs to the Teli community, which is considered one of the BJP’s core voter groups. Similarly, Krishna Kumar Mantu, a former JDU leader who joined the BJP in 2020, was given a ministerial position. Mantu, a Kurmi leader, is expected to consolidate Kurmi voters, a key constituency in Bihar politics.

The final induction in the cabinet was Vijay Kumar Mandal, completing the last expansion of the Nitish Kumar government before the crucial polls. The move is seen as an attempt to strengthen the BJP’s position and balance caste representation within the government.