PATNA: A day ahead of the much-anticipated Bihar cabinet expansion, speculation is mounting that Nishant Kumar, son of former chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, may be inducted into the new council of ministers. The expansion is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 7.
JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Kushwaha on Wednesday stated that the party is expecting 16 berths in the new cabinet. “We have made it clear that we want 16 berths,” he said during a press conference at the party headquarters in Patna.
The cabinet expansion follows the swearing-in of Samrat Choudhary as chief minister on April 15, along with deputy chief ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav. The process had been delayed due to assembly election results in five states, including West Bengal.
The expansion ceremony will take place at Gandhi Maidan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president Nitin Nabin, who are expected to arrive in Patna on Wednesday evening.
Earlier in the day, JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Chaudhary met Nitish Kumar to finalise the party’s nominees for the cabinet. The possible induction of Nishant Kumar was also discussed.
Following Nitish Kumar’s move to the Rajya Sabha and resignation as chief minister, there had been speculation about Nishant being elevated to the post of deputy chief minister. However, he reportedly declined, stating he did not wish to assume a high-ranking position without first gaining electoral experience.
Sources indicate that Nishant prefers to contest elections and work at the grassroots level before taking on major responsibilities. He recently began his ‘Sadbhav Yatra’ on May 3, starting from Champaran, and has been actively engaging with party workers since formally joining JD(U) on March 8.
Despite his initial reluctance, senior JD(U) leaders—including Sanjay Kumar Jha, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), and Vijay Kumar Chaudhary—are believed to have persuaded him to consider joining the cabinet.
An official announcement on the cabinet expansion is expected on Thursday.