Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has retained his post in the newly formed government, but significant changes have been made in cabinet portfolios, marking a shift in political balance. In a major development, Nitish Kumar has handed over the Home Department for the first time in nearly 20 years, with BJP senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary taking charge. A government notification issued on Friday confirmed that the second Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, will oversee Revenue, Land Reforms and Mines. Nitish Kumar will now retain only General Administration, Cabinet Secretariat and Vigilance departments.
The cabinet restructuring reflects the BJP’s strategy to secure key administrative control despite conceding the chief minister position to Nitish Kumar. Although the NDA secured a third consecutive term nationally, the BJP fell short of majority in Bihar and formed government with support from JDU and TDP. With shifting political dynamics across states and coalition-driven governance, the BJP appears focused on holding influential portfolios rather than symbolic positions—similar to the power-sharing approach executed earlier in Maharashtra.
JDU continues to wield substantial influence as the strongest regional force, and political observers note that the BJP avoided confrontation considering Nitish Kumar’s history of alliance shifts. Notably, unlike previous arrangements, the Finance and Commercial Taxes Department has been allocated to JDU senior leader Bijendra Prasad Yadav. Other key JDU portfolios include Rural Development and Transport (Shrawan Kumar), Rural Works (Ashok Choudhary), Building Construction, Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs (Vijay Choudhary), and Social Welfare (Madan Sahni).