Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant among 31 leaders sworn in as Bihar ministers

In a major expansion of the Bihar government, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar was among 31 leaders who took oath as ministers in the Samrat Choudhary-led cabinet on Thursday.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath of office to the new ministers.

Apart from Nishant Kumar, several senior leaders including former deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, ex-ministers Shrawon Kumar and Ashok Choudhary were inducted into the cabinet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and several senior NDA leaders attended the ceremony.

The BJP-led government in Bihar was formed last month after Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister following his election to the Rajya Sabha. BJP leader Samrat Choudhary subsequently took charge as the first BJP chief minister of the state.

The newly expanded cabinet includes representatives from all five NDA allies in Bihar — BJP, JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).

The alliance partners, including parties led by Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, were earlier part of the Nitish Kumar-led ministry and are now expected to receive representation in the new government structure as well.

The cabinet expansion is being viewed as a significant political move ahead of upcoming electoral challenges in the state.