PatnaNovember 21, 2025 09:03 PM IST
First published on: Nov 21, 2025 at 08:57 PM IST
For the first time in two decades as Bihar CM, Nitish Kumar has given up the Home portfolio while in power, handing over the crucial department to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, according to a government notification issued Friday. The JD(U), in exchange, has received Finance that used to go to the BJP earlier.
The decision to give Choudhary Home signals a significant shift in dynamics in the NDA, underlining the BJP’s position as the largest party in the state with 89 seats in the current Assembly. This also positions the BJP as the key player in the state’s law and order apparatus, working in parallel to the Chief Minister’s Office, said an NDA leader.
As Home Minister, Choudhary will oversee policing, law enforcement, and internal security, something that was Kumar’s domain till now, spanning multiple coalitions in the last 20 years. In the past, Kumar has resisted parting with the Home Department. Even during the brief tenure of Jitan Ram Manjhi as CM, Nitish’s office controlled the department, JD(U) insiders said. There had been pressure from allies when the JD(U) was in the Mahagathbandhan, but even then, Nitish managed to keep his grip on Home.
In the government notification, the CM announced the portfolios of the ministers in his government, allocating Revenue and Land Reforms, and Mines and Geology to his second Deputy CM, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and the all-important Finance portfolio to senior JD(U) leader Bijendra Prasad Yadav, who has also been assigned the Commercial Tax department.
While former BJP state president Mangal Pandey has retained Health and Law, Nitin Nabin, the son of former MLA Nabin Kishore Sinha, has retained Road Construction and handed charge of Urban Development and Housing. The new faces from the BJP in the current Nitish government have also got significant departments, including current state BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal (Industries), former MP Ramkripal Yadav (Agriculture), Arun Shankar Prasad (Tourism and Arts & Culture), and former Olympian and acclaimed shooter Shreyasi Singh (Information Technology and Sports).
The JD(U) has retained several key portfolios, including Education, Rural Development, Social Welfare, and Transport. Vijay Kumar Choudhary will continue to manage Water Resources, Shravan Kumar has been allocated Rural Development and Transport, while Ashok Choudhary has retained Rural Works. Additionally, JD(U) ministers will continue overseeing departments such as Food and Consumer Protection, Minority Welfare, and Energy. The CM has kept the portfolios of General Administration Department, Cabinet Secretariat, and Vigilance with himself.
While the HAM (Secular) has retained Minor Water Resources, with party chief and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Sumar getting the portfolio, RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash has got the Panchayati Raj ministry. The two ministers from Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) have been allocated Sugarcane Industries and Public Health Engineering.