Expansion of the newly formed cabinet in Bihar will take place in due course in consultation with the BJP and the same was not on cards as of now, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said here on Tuesday. Kumar made the statement in response to queries about the intense speculations about a tussle between his JD(U) and the BJP coming in the way of expansion of the cabinet which has 14 members, including himself, less than half of the sanctioned strength.
As a law, a maximum of 36 ministers can be named to the 243 member Bihar Assembly, including the chief minister. We are currently busy moving forward for the next five years on our blueprint. A cabinet meeting for the purpose is planned later in the day.
“When the BJP proposes expansion of the cabinet, we will think over it. So far no proposal has been received” Kumar told reporters. Speculations were common that the expansion of the cabinet was postponed because the JD(U) insisted on having a number of berths equal to that of the BJP, which currently has seven ministers, as opposed to just four of the party’s chief ministers.
Two of the BJP ministers were appointed as Deputy CM, Tar Kishor Prasad and Renu Devi. Mewa Lal Chaudhary, one of the JD(U) ministers, had to resign within hours of taking over as a major controversy erupted over his being appointed in a case involving illegal appointments at an agricultural university of which he was then the Vice Chancellor.
The JD(U) is also said to have stressed that, despite having a power in the assembly that was superior to the latter, it had contested as many seats as the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls last year. The JD(U), the BJP and the LJP battled together for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the 2019 general elections and returned with the respective ballots of 16, 17 and six.
Two minor parties, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Mprcha (HAM) and Bollywood set designer-turned-politician Mukesh Sahnis Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) joined the coalition ahead of the assembly elections, while the LJP pulled out of the NDA in the district, insisting that it was still a constituent in the Centre. Son of Manjhi, whose party won seats from its own quota of 122 seats set aside by the JD (U), and Sahni, who was accommodated by the BJP after snapping the tie.
