Bihar’s NDA government led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is set to undergo a cabinet expansion on Thursday, with around 28 ministers expected to take oath at a ceremony scheduled at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
The swearing-in ceremony is being regarded as politically significant as it marks the first government in Bihar formed under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, with Samrat Choudhary serving as Chief Minister.
The most discussed development surrounding the cabinet expansion is the likely inclusion of Nishant Kumar, son of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. According to political sources, Nishant Kumar may be inducted into the cabinet from the Janata Dal United quota. If inducted, it would mark his entry into active politics after maintaining distance from political activities until now.
The development is also being viewed as a possible indication regarding the future leadership direction within the JDU.
Several senior national leaders are expected to attend the ceremony at Gandhi Maidan, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda. Leaders of NDA allies and chief ministers from several states are also likely to participate in the event.
Leaders whose names are being discussed for inclusion in the cabinet from the BJP quota include Vijay Kumar Sinha, Mangal Pandey, Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Ram Kripal Yadav, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Shreyasi Singh, Arun Shankar Prasad, Lakhendra Paswan, Rama Nishad, Pramod Kumar Chandravanshi, and Surendra Mehta.
From the JDU quota, the likely names include Nishant Kumar, Shravan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Lesi Singh, Madan Sahni, Jama Khan, Sunil Kumar, Damodar Rawat, Bulo Mandal, Sheila Mandal, Ratnesh Sada, and Shribhagwan Singh Kushwaha.
The swearing-in ceremony will be conducted by the Governor, who will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers. Administrative preparations, including security arrangements for the event at Gandhi Maidan, have been completed.
