(Image source from: x.com/BJP4Bihar)
Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday stepped down from the Home Ministry, now led by his deputy, BJP member Samrat Choudhary, as the new cabinet roles were revealed. This marks the first occasion in twenty years that Nitish Kumar will not be in charge of this important department. Before Nitish Kumar's swearing-in, India Today reported that discussions about forming the cabinet among NDA partners faced a brief halt, as JD(U) was hesitant to give up the influential Home portfolio. The Home Department, previously managed by Nitish, has now transferred to Samrat Choudhary, who remains Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister. Nitish Kumar passing the Home Department to his deputy after two decades indicates a change in power dynamics with the BJP, JD(U)’s ally, appearing to take a more central role in Bihar.
This also shows that Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will have more responsibility and power as he will not just manage law and order but also directly address immigration challenges in the Seemanchal area. Another deputy of Nitish Kumar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, has received the Land and Revenue Department along with the Mines and Geology role. Mangal Pandey will manage both the Health and Law Departments, while Dilip Jaiswal is now the Minister for Industry. Mangal Pandey will oversee the Health and Law Departments, and Dilip Jaiswal is designated as the Industry Minister. These changes are part of a larger reorganization in key sectors of the state government. Nitin Nabin has been given the role in the Road Construction Department, as well as the Urban Development and Housing Department. Ramkripal Yadav will be the Agriculture Minister, and Sanjay Tiger has taken on the job related to Labour Resources. These appointments indicate the government’s plan to improve how departments run with capable leaders.
Arun Shankar Prasad will head the Tourism Department along with Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs. Surendra Mehta is tasked with Animal and Fisheries Resources, and Narayan Prasad will take charge of the Disaster Management Department. The allocation of these roles reflects an emphasis on various fields such as culture, agriculture, and emergency response. BJP’s Rama Nishad has been appointed as the minister for the Backward and Extremely Backward Class Welfare Department, while Lakhedar Paswan will oversee the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department. Shreyasi Singh will supervise both the Information Technology and Sports Departments.
Pramod Chandravanshi has received the roles of Cooperation and Environment-Forest-Climate Change. Chirag Paswan’s faction will manage the Sugarcane Industry and Public Health Engineering Departments, while the HAM party retains the Minor Water Resources Department, led by minister Santosh Suman. Deepak Prakash has been designated as the Panchayati Raj Minister, indicating teamwork among coalition partners within the government.
