Bihar portfolio allocation: Nitish keeps Home, gives finance to BJP

Keeping the Home portfolio under his fold, Nitish tried to send across a message that he continues to wield considerable power in Bihar despite political big brother BJP having more number of seats in the Assembly.

Nitish went by the same formula of portfolio allocation as was done during the formation of the NDA government after the 2020 Assembly elections in which the JD(U) had won 43 (now 45) seats and the BJP had bagged 74 (now 78).

While the JD(U) got Home and education, BJP was given finance, health, road construction, and agriculture. After BJP’s posturings of demanding the Home department, the portfolio allocation put all speculations to rest. “The cabinet allocation has a clear Nitish Kumar stamp. There seems to be the same arrangement between the JD(U) and the BJP as it was after the 2020 Assembly polls,” said a JD(U) insider.

Lone minister from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) Santosh Kumar Suman has been given charge of SC/ST welfare and Information Technology departments. Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh, who has remained loyal towards the CM during his numerous switchovers in the last four years, has retained science, technology and technical education.

Sources, however, said HAM(S), which has four MLAs, has been demanding one more cabinet berth. In the House of 243, the NDA has 128 MLAs with HAM(S)’s support. Nitish was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister on January 28, along with eight ministers. A cabinet expansion is likely after a trust vote on February 12.

The departments allocated to JD(U) include Home, general administration, cabinet secretariat, vigilance, elections, water resources, Parliamentary affairs, building construction, transport, education, information and public relations, energy, planning and development, prohibition, excise and registration, rural works, minority welfare, rural development, social welfare and consumer protection.

The BJP’s 23 departments include finance, health, commercial tax, town development and housing, sports, panchayati raj, industry, law, animal husbandry and fisheries, agriculture, road construction, revenue and land reform, sugarcane, mines, labour resources, art, culture and youth, minor irrigation, public health and engineering, cooperative, OBC/EBC welfare, disaster management, environment and climate change and tourism.