Patna: The expansion of Bihar’s state cabinet is expected to take place on Thursday at a large public ceremony in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, with 24 legislators from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) likely to be sworn in as ministers.
The event comes days after Samrat Choudhary was sworn in as chief minister in a comparatively low-key ceremony. Thursday’s programme, by contrast, is being positioned as a major show of strength for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, with senior national leaders expected to attend.
Among those invited are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and former BJP president J P Nadda, alongside chief ministers from other NDA-ruled states. BJP national president Nitin Nabin is also expected to be present.
Former chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar is scheduled to share the stage, while governor Syed Ata Hasnain will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the incoming ministers.
According to party officials, preparations for the ceremony were reviewed at a meeting on Tuesday chaired by BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi, with senior organisational figures also in attendance.
The expansion is expected to reflect the coalition balance between the BJP and JD(U), with additional representation for smaller NDA allies including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Under the proposed arrangement, 12 ministers are expected to be drawn from the BJP and 11 from the JD(U), alongside smaller allocations for allied parties. The cabinet currently includes the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers from the JD(U) quota, Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.
The Bihar cabinet is constitutionally permitted to have up to 36 members. Officials said the expansion on Thursday would take the total closer to 30.
Probable ministers
Within the BJP quota, names circulating include Vijay Kumar Sinha, Mangal Pandey, Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Ram Kripal Yadav, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Shreyasi Singh, Arun Shankar Prasad, Lakhendra Paswan, Rama Nishad, Pramod Kumar Chandravanshi and Surendra Mehta. Party insiders suggest two additional entrants may be inducted following Nitin Navin’s elevation to national leadership.
From the JD(U), those expected to take oath include Shrawon Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Leshi Singh, Madan Sahni, Sunil Kumar, Jama Khan, Ratnesh Sada and Jayant Raj. A number of newer names, including Manjarik Mrinal, Atirek Kumar and Ruhel Ranjan, are also being discussed, along with the possible inclusion of Sheela Kumari.
Among allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, is expected to receive two ministerial berths, while Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha are likely to secure one each.
The state government oversees 47 departments, with portfolio distribution broadly favouring the BJP, which holds 29 ministries, while the JD(U) controls 18. Smaller coalition partners are expected to be accommodated within this structure.
Party leaders have described the ceremony as a symbolic show of unity within the NDA, as the alliance seeks to consolidate its position in the state following recent electoral gains.
