Patna: Patna is preparing for a major political event as the expansion of the Bihar government’s “Samrat Cabinet” is scheduled to take place at Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be one of the largest cabinet expansions in recent years, with around 31 to 32 ministers likely to take oath. Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the presence of several senior NDA leaders and thousands of supporters gathered at the venue.
According to sources, the BJP is expected to get the biggest share in the cabinet expansion, with around 14 to 15 ministers likely to be included from the party. Names being discussed include Vijay Kumar Sinha, Ram Kripal Yadav, Nitish Mishra, Dilip Jaiswal and Rama Nishad. Other leaders such as Kedar Gupta, Mithilesh Tiwari, Lakhwinder Paswan, Sanjay Tiger and Arun Shankar Prasad are also likely to become ministers. The possible inclusion of shooter-turned-politician Shreyasi Singh has also become a major topic of discussion in political circles.
The Janata Dal (United), led by former chief minister Nitish Kumar, is also expected to get an important share in the cabinet. Around 13 ministers from the party are likely to take oath. Leaders such as Shravan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Ratnesh Sada, Madan Sahni, Leshi Singh, Sheela Mandal and Jama Khan have reportedly received official calls from Raj Bhavan for the ceremony. Senior ministers Vijay Choudhary and Bijendra Yadav are already part of the government and are expected to continue playing key roles in the new cabinet.
Other alliance partners in the NDA are also set to get representation in the expanded cabinet. From the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, Sanjay Paswan and Sanjay Singh are expected to take oath once again. From the Hindustani Awam Morcha, Santosh Kumar Suman is likely to return as minister. Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha is expected to be represented by Deepak Prakash, son of Upendra Kushwaha. Since he is not currently a member of the assembly or council, he will need to become an MLA or MLC within six months.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to turn into a major political show for the NDA. Prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin and Union minister JP Nadda are expected to attend the event along with other senior leaders. Gandhi Maidan has been fully decorated for the ceremony, and security arrangements have been tightened across Patna ahead of the high-profile event.
