Patna: After Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary successfully passed the floor test on Friday, all attention has now shifted to the expansion of the Bihar cabinet. On Saturday, Samrat met his predecessor Nitish Kumar in the presence of Union minister and senior JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. This meeting is believed to have been a courtesy visit following the trust vote victory, as well as a step towards finalizing the state cabinet expansion.
Current Composition of the NDA Government
Currently, the NDA government is being led by Bihar's first BJP chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, along with two deputy chief ministers from JD(U) — Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav. They took the oath of office on April 15 after Nitish Kumar relinquished the CM post on April 14 following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Timeline for Cabinet Expansion
BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi stated that cabinet expansion is likely to happen soon. However, party leader and former minister Ram Kripal Yadav indicated that the exercise is expected only after the second phase of West Bengal assembly elections on April 29. Sources reveal that the final shape of the Samrat cabinet will be determined after the West Bengal polls and before the assembly election results in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry on May 4. Ram Kripal Yadav said on Saturday that the cabinet expansion issue will be decided by top NDA leaders. "But I think it will take place after the assembly elections," he added.
Consultations with National Leaders
Samrat recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Nitin Nabin in Delhi. However, he could not meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was preoccupied with election campaigning in West Bengal. It is anticipated that Samrat will likely meet Shah before the Bihar cabinet expansion is finalized.
Development Roadmap for Bihar
Saraogi mentioned that the new government is working on a long-term plan for the state's development. In the times to come, Bihar will be steered forward by a robust team. Saraogi also hinted that Samrat and other NDA leaders have already formulated a comprehensive roadmap for Bihar's development until 2030. "Leaders from the NDA's constituent parties will soon sit together to finalize the names of the new ministers. The cabinet expansion would prove to be a transformative moment for the future of Bihar," he said.
Sticking Points Over Department Allocation
However, there are certain sticking points regarding the allocation of specific departments. For instance, the home department has traditionally remained under the direct control of the CM, except during the previous Nitish-led government when the responsibility was entrusted to BJP's Samrat, who was then the deputy CM. Sources indicate that JD(U) is now staking a claim to the home department. There are also chances of reshuffles in other influential portfolios such as finance, rural development, road construction, and water resources departments.
Induction of New Faces
The NDA constituents may attempt to convey a political message this time by inducting several new faces as ministers into the cabinet. This could potentially include some of the 14 young JD(U) MLAs who are often seen alongside Nishant Kumar, son of Nitish Kumar. Nishant has been meeting party workers to strengthen the JD(U) at the grassroots level.
