Nitish gives in to BJP; Home Department goes to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary

PATNA: The Home Department, which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had held since 2005, has gone to the BJP this time. BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will now handle the Home portfolio. This is seen as Nitish and the JD(U) giving in to the BJP’s bargaining power after the party emerged as the largest party in the Assembly elections with 90 seats. It is the first time Nitish has given up the Home Department.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has been elected the deputy leader of the BJP legislature party, has been given the important Revenue and Land Reforms Department. BJP MLA Mangal Pandey will head the Health and Law Departments. BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal has received the Industries Department.

Public Works, Agriculture, Labour, Tourism, Mines, Industries, Road Construction, Urban Development, and Backwards Class Welfare are among the other departments allotted to the BJP, which now has 14 ministers. Ministers from Nitish’s party, the JD(U), have received Water Resources, Building Construction, Energy, Rural Development, and Education. The BJP had demanded the Education Department earlier.

The Lok Janshakti Party, led by Chirag Paswan, has been given the Public Health Engineering and Sugarcane Industries departments. Deepak Prakash of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha has been allotted the Panchayati Raj Department. Santosh Suman of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has received the Small Water Resources Department.

Will Nitish complete his term?
With the Home portfolio now handed to the BJP, doubts have intensified over whether Nitish Kumar will remain Chief Minister for the full five-year term of his tenth tenure. During the election campaign, the BJP had not projected Nitish as its chief ministerial candidate, leading to speculation that the party might try to take the post. After the massive win, removing Nitish became difficult. However, over the next five years, there is a strong possibility that Nitish may step aside due to health issues, paving the way for a BJP Chief Minister.