Historic Power Shift in Bihar Government
In a significant departure from the established political arrangement, the Bharatiya Janata Party has secured control of the crucial Home Ministry in Bihar for the first time during Nitish Kumar's two-decade tenure as Chief Minister. This landmark development occurred on Friday, November 21, 2025, when a government notification officially allocated the Home portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.
This marks the first instance in twenty years where Nitish Kumar will not oversee the Home Department, a portfolio he has consistently maintained across various coalition governments. The JD(U), in a strategic exchange, has received the Finance portfolio that traditionally went to the BJP as part of the power-sharing agreement between NDA allies.
Portfolio Distribution and Political Implications
The allocation of the Home Ministry to the BJP underscores the party's strengthened position as the largest party in the state assembly with 89 seats. This move positions the BJP as a key player in the state's law and order apparatus, operating parallel to the Chief Minister's Office according to NDA insiders.
As the new Home Minister, Samrat Choudhary will now oversee policing, law enforcement, and internal security matters that were previously under Kumar's direct control. Historical context reveals that Kumar has consistently resisted relinquishing the Home Department, even during Jitan Ram Manjhi's brief tenure as Chief Minister, when Nitish's office effectively controlled the department.
The portfolio distribution notification also revealed other significant allocations. The second Deputy CM, Vijay Kumar Sinha, received Revenue and Land Reforms along with Mines and Geology. The crucial Finance portfolio went to senior JD(U) leader Bijendra Prasad Yadav, who will also handle the Commercial Tax department.
Comprehensive Ministry Allocation Across Parties
Other notable portfolio assignments include:
- Mangal Pandey (BJP) retained Health and Law departments
- Nitin Nabin (BJP) kept Road Construction and added Urban Development and Housing
- Dilip Jaiswal (BJP) received Industries portfolio
- Ramkripal Yadav (BJP) was assigned Agriculture
- Arun Shankar Prasad (BJP) got Tourism and Arts & Culture
- Shreyasi Singh (BJP) will handle Information Technology and Sports
The JD(U) managed to retain several key portfolios including Education, Rural Development, Social Welfare, and Transport. Specific JD(U) allocations include Vijay Kumar Choudhary continuing with Water Resources, Shravan Kumar handling Rural Development and Transport, while Ashok Choudhary retained Rural Works.
Smaller alliance partners also received representation. HAM(Secular) retained Minor Water Resources under Santosh Kumar Sumar (son of Jitan Ram Manjhi), while RLM's Deepak Prakash (son of Upendra Kushwaha) got Panchayati Raj. Ministers from Chirag Paswan's LJP(Ram Vilas) received Sugarcane Industries and Public Health Engineering departments.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has kept the General Administration Department, Cabinet Secretariat, and Vigilance portfolio with himself, maintaining control over key administrative functions despite ceding the Home Ministry.
This portfolio redistribution signals a new chapter in Bihar's political landscape, with the BJP gaining substantial influence in law and order matters while the JD(U) consolidates its hold on financial administration. The arrangement reflects the evolving power dynamics within the NDA alliance in Bihar and could have far-reaching implications for the state's governance and future political alignments.
