NEW DELHI: Ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet on February 26, by inducting seven new ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This expansion brings the cabinet to its full constitutional strength of 36 members, a first since 2005.
The newly sworn-in ministers are Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga), Dr. Sunil Kumar (Biharsharif), Jibesh Kumar (Jale), Raju Kumar Singh (Sahebganj), Moti Lal Prasad (Riga), Vijay Kumar Mandal, and Krishna Kumar Mantoo. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.
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This cabinet expansion reflects the BJPโs strategy to balance regional and caste representations. Notably, six of the seven ministers hail from North Bihar, with two from Darbhangaโs Mithilanchal area, and one from Nalanda. The caste composition includes two upper-caste membersโRaju Kumar Singh (Rajput) and Jibesh Kumar (Bhumihar)โand five from Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), such as Vijay Kumar Mandal and Moti Lal Prasad.
This development comes shortly after BJP state president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal resigned from his ministerial position, adhering to the partyโs โone person, one postโ policy.
With the assembly elections scheduled for later this year, this cabinet expansion is seen as an effort by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government to strengthen its position by ensuring diverse representation and addressing regional aspirations within the state.
