Patna: Portfolios have been allocated to the seven new ministers sworn into the Bihar Cabinet on Wednesday, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reshuffled his cabinet months ahead of the crucial assembly elections.
Health Minister Mangal Pandey has been given additional charge of the Law Department, while the Information Technology portfolio has been reassigned from Santosh Suman, son of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi.
BJP leader Krishna Kumar Mantoo will now oversee the Information Technology Department, with Suman retaining charge of Minor Water Resources. Vijay Mandal, MLA from Sikti, has been assigned the Disaster Management Department, while Darbhanga MLA Sanjay Saraogi will handle the Revenue and Land Reforms Department.
The Land and Revenue portfolio was previously held by Bihar BJP chief Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, who stepped down on Wednesday in line with the party’s ‘one person, one post’ policy.
Biharsharif MLA Sunil Singh has been given charge of the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department, while Sahebganj MLA Raju Singh will lead the Tourism Department. Motilal Prasad has been appointed as the minister for Arts and Culture.
With this expansion, the Bihar Cabinet now has 36 ministers, the maximum allowed in the state.
All seven newly inducted ministers belong to the BJP, increasing the party’s tally of ministers in Bihar to 21. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has 13 ministers, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has one, and there is also one Independent minister.
The seven MLAs inducted into the Cabinet represent regions where the BJP has a strong presence, with six of them hailing from North Bihar. The party has also factored in caste representation in the selections.
Raju Singh and Jibesh Kumar come from the upper-caste Rajput and Bhumihar communities, while Vijay Mandal and Motilal Prasad represent the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). Mantoo belongs to the Kurmi community, to which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also belongs, while Sunil Kumar comes from the Kushwaha community. Sanjay Saraogi is an OBC leader.
