Patna: A day after winning the trust vote, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his Cabinet with the induction of 27 ministers who took oath on Saturday.
Of the 27 ministers, 14 are from Mr Kumar’s JD(U), 12 are from the BJP and one is from Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party.
Mr Kumar inducted Mr Paswan’s younger brother Pashupati Nath Paras, who is not a member of the Assembly. Sources said he is likely to be nominated to the Legislative Council soon.
In the 243-member House, a maximum of 37 ministers are allowed. The Chief Minister kept the portfolios of home affairs, general administration and vigilance.
Sources said the Chief Minister is likely to hand over portfolios like finance, commercial taxes, forest and IT to deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP.
One member of the new Cabinet, Mangal Pandey, former state BJP president and the organisational in-charge for Himachal Pradesh, couldn’t turn up for the oath ceremony as his flight was delayed.
The Chief Minister refused to offer a Cabinet berth to NDA allies Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of Jitan Ram Manji.
Mr Modi earlier handed over a list to the Mr Nitish of 12 members from the BJP to be inducted into the Cabinet and also discussed the distribution of portfolios, sources said.
