With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar debunking rumours of shifting alliances and a joint event of the NDA scheduled for next week, the expansion of the state Cabinet is likely to take place after January 15 after the inauspicious month of Kharmaas concludes.
Sources within the JD(U) and BJP said that the Cabinet rejig, ahead of the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly, will address multiple issues like striking a regional and caste balance, and also ensure political stability in the state which will go to the polls later this year.
“Regional and caste balances could be the top priorities. We need representation for Seemanchal (areas comprising Katihar, Purnia, Araria and Kishanganj), especially after (state BJP chief) Dilip Jaiswal quits as minister . We also need representation for Shahabad (Bhojpur, Kaimur, Buxar and Rohtas), Magadh (Aurangabad, Jehanabad and Arwal), Champaran (East and West Champaran) and Saran,” a BJP leader said even as sources indicated that Jaiswal may give up his ministerial position in accordance with the BJP’s “one person, one post” policy”.
While a JD(U) leader did not rule out some surprise inductees, the BJP leader said social balancing could be done by including upper caste, OBC and EBC faces in the Cabinet as catering to every region and caste is an important factor in an election year.
According to sources, the expansion will also help ease the additional burden of at least half a dozen ministers who are in-charges of two or more departments.
Currently, the Cabinet has 30 ministers including the CM. The expansion is likely to see the induction of four BJP and two JD(U) MLAs. The BJP has 15 ministers including two deputy CMs – Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha — while the JD(U) has 13 ministers including Nitish. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) occupies one berth while Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh is also a part of the Bihar Cabinet, which can have a maximum strength of 36.
Nitish, who had returned to the NDA in January last year, had expanded his Cabinet two months later.
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