Patna: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar expanded its cabinet on Thursday, with 32 ministers taking the oath of office at a ceremony held at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, in a move widely viewed as an attempt to balance caste and gender representation ahead of the state assembly elections.
The expansion of the cabinet led by chief minister Samrat Choudhary reflected a careful distribution of portfolios among alliance partners. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 15 ministerial berths, while the Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), received 13 positions. Two ministers were inducted from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), with one berth each allocated to the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha, led by Upendra Kushwaha.
Among those sworn in were senior leaders including Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Ashok Choudhary and Ram Kripal Yadav. Several first-time ministers were also inducted, signalling an effort by both the BJP and JD(U) to promote new leadership.
The JD(U) introduced three new faces into the cabinet: Nishant Kumar, Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal and Shweta Gupta. Gupta’s inclusion was seen as part of the party’s attempt to strengthen women’s representation in government.
The BJP also brought in several new ministers, including Mithilesh Tiwari, Nand Kishore Ram, Ramchandra Prasad and Kumar Shailendra. Party leaders said the selections were aimed at broadening the coalition’s appeal across social groups.
Caste arithmetic appeared central to the cabinet formation. Ten ministers belong to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), while six ministers come from Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. Seven ministers are from Dalit groups and nine from upper-caste backgrounds. The inclusion of a Muslim minister was also viewed as part of the NDA’s effort to maintain broader social representation.
Women were given five positions in the expanded cabinet, with three of those ministers belonging to the JD(U). Political observers said the move was intended to project the alliance as supportive of greater female participation in politics.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by senior NDA leaders, including prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh. Thousands of supporters gathered at Gandhi Maidan for the event, which was widely interpreted as a show of political strength by the ruling alliance.
The cabinet expansion comes at a crucial moment for the NDA government as it seeks to consolidate support among key caste groups and prepare for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Analysts say the composition of the new ministry underlines the alliance’s focus on electoral strategy, particularly among EBC and Dalit voters, who remain influential in the state’s political landscape.
