Patna: Bihar’s political landscape has undergone a striking rearrangement. Samrat Chaudhary, the state’s newly appointed Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, now commands the police force — a portfolio that Nitish Kumar has not handed over to an ally for two decades. Yet beneath this dramatic shift lies a quieter constant: Nitish still controls the transfers and postings of IAS and IPS officers, the administrative levers that determine who truly wields power in the state.
Following Friday’s cabinet expansion, the Chief Minister allocated portfolios to 26 ministers, passing the influential Home Department to Chaudhary, one of the BJP’s two deputy chief ministers. The move has elevated the BJP leader’s stature and granted the party unprecedented operational control over law and order.
But the transfer of authority is far from absolute.
Nitish Kumar has retained the General Administration Department (GAD) — widely regarded as the command centre of Bihar’s bureaucracy. The GAD handles all critical decisions involving the state’s senior officials, from postings and promotions to disciplinary action, covering IAS, IPS, BAS, and BPS cadres.
Historically, Bihar’s Chief Minister has always held this department, ensuring a firm grip over the administrative machinery regardless of political alliances. Even today, any promotion or transfer of IPS officers serving under the Home Department requires Nitish Kumar’s approval, effectively giving him the final say in shaping the state’s policing apparatus.
