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Bihar cabinet expansion: Here's more on the 31 new ministers in Nitish-Tejashwi govt
Soon after the ministers took oath, the BJP took a swipe at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, alleging the portfolios primarily comprise “two communities”, in a supposed reference to Muslims and Yadavs.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday expanded his cabinet by inducting 31 ministers, days after he and his deputy RJD's Tejashwi Yadav took oath in the new Grand Alliance government. Kumar has kept the home and finance ministries with his party JD(U), while Yadav has been allocated the health department. Among the 31 new ministers, a total of 16 belong to Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), while 11 and two are from the JD(U) and Congress, respectively.
The BJP said the ministers primarily come from “two communities”, in an apparent reference to Muslims and Yadavs – the core vote base of the RJD – and have sidetracked those belonging to the Economically Backwards Classes (EBCs).
The saffron party also held a meeting with the Bihar BJP core committee in Delhi on Tuesday, which was chaired by party national president JP Nadda and saw the attendance of Union home minister Amit Shah as well.
Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi lashed out at Kumar for inducting people with alleged criminal background. “What message does Nitish Kumar want to give by keeping people like Surendra Yadav, Ramanand Yadav and Lalit Yadav in the cabinet?” Modi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Tejaswi's brother and Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav has also received a berth as he has been allocated with the environment, forest and climate change department.
Here are top facts about the newly sworn-in Bihar ministers:
| Name | Party | Facts |
| Vijay Kumar Chaudhary | JD(U) | Former bank probationary officer and speaker of Bihar legislative assembly. |
| Bijendra Prasad Yadav | JD(U) | An MLA from Supaul for last 30 years. A graduate in Science, he was Bihar’s former energy, planning and development minister. |
| Alok Kumar Mehta | RJD | An MLA from Ujiyarpur, he won Lok Sabha from Samastipur in 2004. |
| Tej Pratap Yadav | RJD | Lalu Prasad’s elder son, and a two-time MLA. He is a former health, religious and spiritual minister. |
| Ashok Choudhary | JD(U) | Son of former minister Mahavir Choudhary, he is a member of Bihar legislative council, and former minister of building construction, education departments. |
| Shrawan Kumar | JD(U) | An MLA from Nalanda, he is the former rural development minister. Kumar became an MLA for the first time in 1995. |
| Leshi Singh | JD(U) | An MLA from Dhamdaha, and a former minister of food and consumer protection department. She is also the ex-chairperson of Bihar State Women Commission. |
| Surendra Prasad Yadav | RJD | An MLA from Gaya’s Belaganj, he has been in the role for eight terms. Yadav is considered close to Lalu Prasad. |
| Ramanand Yadav | RJD | A Lalu Prasad loyalist, he was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly from Fatuha. |
| Madan Sahni | JD(U) | An MLA from Bahadurpur, and a former social welfare minister. Sahni came into the spotlight after a spat with a government officer. |
| Lalit Yadav | RJD | An MLA from Darbhanga rural constituency, he is a six-time legislator. He became an MLA for the first time in 1995. |
| Kumar Sarvjeet | RJD | A engineering graduate from Ranchi, he is an MLA from Bodh Gaya. He has declared assets worth ₹6.29 crore. |
| Sanjay Kumar Jha | JD(U) | An MLC and former water resources department minister, Jha began his politics with the BJP before moving to JD(U). |
| Sheela Kumari | JD(U) | A post graduate, she is an MLA from Phulparas in Madhubani district and the EBC face in the govt. |
| Samir Kumar Mahaseth | RJD | A two-time MLA, he has also been an MLC once. Mahaseth has declared assets of ₹24 crore. |
| Chandra Shekhar | RJD | A former minister of disaster management department, he is a three-time MLA from Madhubani and completed a hat-trick in 2020. |
| Sunil Kumar | JD(U) | A former IPS officer, he became an MLA for the first time in 2020. Kumar is the former minister of excise, prohibition and registration. |
| Anita Devi | RJD | An intermediate pass, she is an MLA from Nokha in Rohtas district. Devi has declared assets of over ₹1 crore. |
| Jitendra Kumar Rai | RJD | An MLA from Marhaura in Saran district, his father Yadubanshi Rai, also served as MLA from the constituency twice. |
| Sudhakar Singh | RJD | A graduate from Kirorimal College, Delhi University, he is the son of former minister and RJD state president Jagdanand Singh. |
| Jayant Raj | JD(U) | An MLA from Amarpur, he is a former minister of rural works. At 37, he is the young face of Bihar ministers. |
| Md Zama Khan | JD(U) | Considered to be a strongman with 24 criminal cases against him, he was elected an MLA on BSP ticket from Chainpur in Kaimur district in 2020. He switched over to JD(U) and was the minister of minority affairs. |
| Md Israil Mansuri | JD(U) | He is an MLA from Kanti in Muzaffarpur district. He is the EBC representation among the Muslims in the government. |
| Surendra Ram | RJD | An MLA from Garkha in Saran district, he has declared assets of over ₹1 crore. His wife is an anganwadi worker as per the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India. |
| Kartik Singh | RJD | A first time MLC this year, he is considered close to strongman Anant Singh. |
| Md Shahnawaz Alam | RJD | Son of Md Taslimuddin, a former minister, Alam is an MLA from Jokihat in Araria district. He was elected on AIMIM ticket but later moved to the RJD. |
| Jayant Raj | JD(U) | A first time MLA from Amarpur, Raj was a minister in the NDA govt as well. |
| Ashfaque Alam | Congress | A four-time MLA, he was elected from Kasba in Purnia district. He is the minority face in the govt. |
| Murari Pd Gautam | Congress | Murari Prasad Gautam is a Cong MLA from Chenari (SC) reserved seat of Rohtas. He defeated JD(U) to win the seat. |
| Santosh Kumar Suman | HAM-S | An MLC, he is the son of former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. He is a graduate and former minor irrigation and SC/ST minister. |
| Sumit Kumar Singh | Independent | Son of former Bihar agriculture minister, he is a two-time MLA (2010 and 2020) from Chakai in Jamui districts. |
