Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced portfolios for his new cabinet on Friday and handed the powerful Home Ministry to Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary.
This decision marks the first time in two decades that Nitish Kumar will not control the Home Department, and it signals a major shift in Bihar’s political landscape.
Samrat Choudhary, who rose as the BJP’s prominent face after the party’s massive election win, now oversees law and order in the state. Consequently, Nitish Kumar’s move reflects a new balance of power within the NDA alliance and strengthens the BJP’s role in governance.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha received the Land and Revenue Department along with Mines and Geology. In addition, Mangal Pandey took charge of both Health and Law, while Dilip Jaiswal became Industry Minister. Furthermore, Nitin Nabin was assigned Road Construction and Urban Development and Housing. Ramkripal Yadav assumed the Agriculture portfolio, and Sanjay Tiger took Labour Resources.
Arun Shankar Prasad will lead Tourism, Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs. Similarly, Surendra Mehta will manage Animal and Fisheries Resources, while Narayan Prasad will head Disaster Management. Rama Nishad will oversee Backward and Extremely Backward Class Welfare, and Lakhedar Paswan will handle Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare. Shreyasi Singh will manage Information Technology and Sports. Finally, Pramod Chandravanshi will take charge of Cooperation and Environment–Forest–Climate Change.
Overall, the appointment of Samrat Choudhary as Bihar’s Home Minister highlights the BJP’s growing influence in the state government. Nitish Kumar’s decision to relinquish the Home portfolio underscores changing political dynamics and sets the stage for new governance priorities.
