Bihar cabinet reshuffle: New ministers assigned portfolios, Mangal Pandey gets law

Portfolios have been assigned to the seven new ministers who took oath on Wednesday in Bihar, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reshuffled his Cabinet in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Health Minister Mangal Pandey has been given additional charge of the Law Department, while Information Technology has been reassigned from Santosh Suman, the son of HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Krishna Kumar Mantoo of the BJP will now head the Information Technology Department, while Suman will continue handling Minor Water Resources.

Vijay Mandal, an MLA from Sikti, has been given the Disaster Management Department, whereas Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga) has been entrusted with the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. The Land and Revenue Department was previously under state BJP chief Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, who stepped down in adherence to the party’s 'one person, one post' policy.

Additionally, Biharsharif MLA Sunil Singh has been appointed as the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister. Sahebganj MLA Raju Singh will oversee the Tourism Department, while Motilal Prasad has been given charge of the Arts and Culture Department.

With this Cabinet expansion, the total number of ministers has reached 36, the maximum limit allowed in Bihar.

All seven newly inducted ministers belong to the BJP, increasing the party’s total ministerial strength to 21 in the state. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has 13 ministers, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has one, along with one independent minister.

The ministers come from regions where the BJP holds a strong political presence, with six out of the seven being from North Bihar. The BJP has also maintained a caste balance in its selections.

While Raju Singh and Jibesh Kumar represent the upper-caste Rajput and Bhumihar communities, Vijay Mandal and Motilal Prasad belong to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). Mantoo hails from Nitish Kumar’s Kurmi community, Sunil Kumar is from the Kushwaha community, and Sanjay Saraogi is an OBC leader.