Nitish Kumar, Samrat, and Vijay Confirmed; Here’s Who Could Join the New Bihar Cabinet

Patna, Bihar: Less than 24 hours remain before the new Bihar cabinet is officially sworn in. Tomorrow at around 11:20 AM, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, along with other NDA ministers, will take oath at Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Here’s a look at the likely lineup and key developments.

Nitish Retains CM Post, BJP Leaders Keep Deputy CM Positions

In a recent JD(U)-BJP legislative meeting, it was confirmed that Nitish Kumar will continue as Bihar’s Chief Minister. The BJP has decided to retain Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha in the deputy chief minister posts without any changes. Nitish was elected JD(U) legislative party leader, while BJP’s Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha have been named legislative party leader and deputy leader, respectively.

Cabinet Composition: JD(U), BJP, and Allies

Speculations on the cabinet’s composition suggest that LJP (Ram Vilas faction) will get three ministerial posts (based on one minister for every six MLAs). HAM (Jitan Ram Manjhi) and RLM (Upendra Kushwaha) are expected to get one ministerial seat each.

According to reliable sources, the three ministers from LJP may include Sanjay Kumar Singh from Mahua, Vaishali, with Chirag Paswan already coordinating departmental assignments for him within the NDA. Another minister from LJP is expected to be from the Dalit community. From HAM, Santosh Suman, son of Jitan Ram Manjhi and a sitting MLC, is likely to be sworn in again. From RLM, Snehalata, wife of Upendra Kushwaha’s new MLA from Sasaram, may also join the cabinet.

Potential Ministers from JD(U) and BJP

Based on seat-to-minister ratio calculations:

• BJP: 15–16 ministers likely.
• JD(U): 14–15 ministers likely.

From JD(U), names like Vijendra Yadav, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, and Shravan Kumar are almost certain, along with a few fresh faces. BJP, on the other hand, is expected to mostly retain experienced ministers. Confirmed names include Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, with others like Nitin Naveen and Neeraj Bablu also likely. There are discussions about including some new BJP leaders as well.

However, only a limited number of ministers—around 20—are expected to take oath initially. The full cabinet expansion may be scheduled after the Kharmas period, likely post 14–15 January 2026.