Bihar cabinet expansion: 7 BJP leaders take oath as ministers

Bihar cabinet expansion: 7 BJP leaders take oath as ministers
26 Feb 2025

The Bihar Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was expanded on Wednesday with the induction of seven new ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The new inductees are Sanjay Saraogi, Sunil Kumar, Jibesh Mishra, Motilal Prasad, Raju Kumar Singh, Vijay Kumar Mandal, and Krishan Kumar Mantoo.

The reshuffle comes after BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal resigned from his ministerial role, citing the party's "One Person One Post" policy.

Cabinet expansion delayed due to Pragati yatra
Expansion delay

The cabinet expansion was earlier delayed due to Kumar's Pragati Yatra and the NDA Unity Show.

This is the second cabinet expansion since March 2024, when 21 ministers were inducted ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Cabinet has 30 members, including 15 BJP ministers, 13 Janata Dal (United), one Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and an Independent. Six seats remain vacant.

After Wednesday's induction, the total strength is now 37.

BJP aims to strengthen presence ahead of elections
Election strategy

"Those who have been made ministers today have a long experience, and both the government and the public will benefit from it," Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal told reporters.

Meanwhile, Saraogi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s aim is to get over 225 seats in the election.

The Bihar assembly election is scheduled this year.