Lobbying among allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continues as they work to finalize cabinet positions ahead of the formation of the new government and the swearing-in of Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister, scheduled for today.
Nitish Kumar, leader of the Janata Dal (United) and the outgoing NDA government, will take the oath of office for the tenth time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan. This event is anticipated to be attended by several prominent NDA leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and various state chief ministers.
Union Home Minister Shah arrived in Patna on Wednesday night, a day prior to the ceremony. A consensus has been reached within the NDA regarding the position of Assembly Speaker, with BJP’s Prem Kumar expected to assume the role. The Deputy Speaker position will likely go to JD(U).
The new cabinet is expected to include five to six fresh faces from the primary NDA constituents—the BJP and JD(U). Reports indicate that Umesh Singh Kushwaha, the JD(U) state chief who won from the Mahnar assembly seat, is poised for a cabinet position.
While JD(U) is likely to retain its current ministers, the BJP may introduce some new members. Smaller allies such as the LJP (RV), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, the HAM-S led by Jitan Ram Manjhi, and RLM led by Upendra Kushwaha, are also expected to receive cabinet representation.
Sources have suggested that the LJP (RV) is anticipated to secure three cabinet positions, with HAM-S and RLM each receiving one. The cabinet is projected to consist of a maximum of 16 ministers from the BJP and 14 from JD(U), totaling 31 members, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who will take the oath of office on November 20.
Among the JD(U) leaders expected to join the new cabinet are Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Shrowan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Lesi Singh, Sheila Mandal, Madan Sahni, Ratnesh Sada, Mohammad Zama Khan, Jayant Raj, and Umesh Singh Kushwaha. Other potential inductees include Rahul Kumar Singh, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Kaladhar Prasad Mandal, and Panna Lal Singh Patel.
BJP insiders suggested that most ministers from the outgoing cabinet will continue in their roles, with the party considering three new additions. Likely continuing ministers include Samrat Choudhary, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Nitish Mishra, Renu Devi, Jibesh Kumar, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Janak Ram, Hari Sahni, Kedar Prasad Gupta, Surendra Mehta, Santosh Kumar Singh, Sunil Kumar, and Motil Lal Prasad.
New candidates from the BJP may include former IPS officer Anand Mishra, elected from Buxar, as well as Rana Randhir, Gayatri Devi, and Vijay Kumar Khemka, according to sources.
