Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi stated on Thursday that Bihar's newly formed Council of Ministers exhibits balanced representation across different sectors and sections of society, expressing confidence in further progress under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary's leadership.
Addressing reporters, Manjhi remarked, “A new council of ministers has been formed in Bihar under the leadership of Samrat Choudhary. We congratulate them. A very balanced council of ministers has been formed, with attention given to all sectors, all sections of society, and Samrat Choudhary’s zeal to take Bihar forward. Under the guidance of Nitish Kumar, Bihar will progress even further–we got a glimpse of that today.”
Regarding Nishant Kumar's inclusion in the cabinet, Manjhi said he had previously worked as a party worker and expressed trust in his effectiveness as a minister. “He was a party worker, so he has been made a minister… He is a balanced person; we believe he will do good work,” he added.
BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy also commended the new council's formation, noting that former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's presence at the ceremony enhanced the event's significance and showcased the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) strength.
“Nitish Kumar’s presence on this occasion truly added to the grandeur of the event. With 32 ministers joining the Cabinet in the presence of Samrat Choudhary, the strength of the NDA has emerged clearly today. The governance of Bihar is currently being discussed across the entire nation, and I am confident that this new Council of Ministers, comprising a significant number of representatives from the younger generation, will take the ‘Bihar governance model’ to every corner of India; this was clearly evident on the stage today. Congratulations to all the Cabinet ministers and the Government of Bihar,” Rudy said.
Rudy described Nishant Kumar's induction as positive and expressed confidence in his performance. “It is indeed good news that he has joined the Council of Ministers. We are confident that, upholding the virtues of his father, he will demonstrate his capabilities within the government. Once again, congratulations to Nishant Kumar,” he told reporters.
On Thursday, a major cabinet expansion took place in Bihar, with several senior leaders and first-time entrants sworn in during a ceremony held at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
The expansion follows the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) assumption of power in Bihar, with the NDA government led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary reinforcing its administrative framework after a decisive electoral mandate.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, and other senior NDA leaders, marking a significant political demonstration of strength by the ruling alliance.
New ministers hail from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JD-U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and other NDA allies joining the BJP-led government under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
BJP inductees include Ram Kripal Yadav, Kedar Gupta, Nitish Mishra, Mithlesh Tiwari, Rama Nishad, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dilip Jaiswal, Pramod Chandravanshi, Lakhvinder Paswan, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Engineer Kumar Shailendra, Nand Kishore Ram, Ramchandra Prasad, Arun Shankar Prasad, and Shreyasi Singh.
JD(U) ministers sworn in are Nishant Kumar, Shravan Kumar, Madan Sahni, Lesi Singh, Shweta Gupta, Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, Damodar Rawat, and Bulo Mandal. They were joined by Sunil Kumar, Sheila Mandal, Ratnesh Sada, Jama Khan, and Ashok Choudhary, completing the list of JD(U) leaders in the expanded cabinet.
From the LJP (Ram Vilas), Sanjay Paswan and Sanjay Singh took oath, marking the party's representation. HAM(S) representative Santosh Suman and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) member Deepak Prakash also joined the cabinet.