Patna: Bihar’s political landscape is once again in flux as discussions intensify over an imminent cabinet expansion, following a series of high-level meetings between chief minister Samrat Choudhary and Janata Dal (United) leader and former chief minister Nitish Kumar at 1 Aney Marg on Saturday.
The meeting, also attended by Union minister and senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), has fuelled expectations that the composition of the state cabinet may soon be finalised. According to sources, the talks centred on the allocation of ministries between coalition partners, with indications that a formula has largely been agreed upon.
This latest round of consultations comes shortly after Choudhary’s visit to Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and follows his government’s successful vote of confidence in the Bihar legislative assembly on Friday. He met Nitish Kumar on the same day after the trust vote, further accelerating speculation about the next phase of government formation.
Officials familiar with the developments suggest that ministerial names from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JD(U) quotas have been broadly finalised, alongside allocations for smaller alliance partners. A formal swearing-in ceremony is expected once a date is agreed upon in consultation with Nitish Kumar.
At present, chief minister Choudhary is holding charge of all departments assigned to the BJP quota, while the portfolios allocated to JD(U) are being overseen by its two deputy chief ministers, including senior leader Vijay Kumar Sinha.
Since the formation of the new government, the state cabinet has convened twice. Government officials say administrative activity is expected to pick up pace as departments begin implementing decisions taken in these meetings, even as political negotiations over the cabinet structure continue in the background.
