The NDA government in Bihar is gearing up for a major cabinet expansion scheduled for May 7. The swearing-in ceremony of new ministers will take place at the iconic Gandhi Maidan which will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Preparations for the event are already underway.
The council of ministers can have a maximum strength of 36, including the Chief Minister. At present, the government is led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, along with two Deputy Chief Ministers from JD(U)—Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.
Just two days ago, on Sunday, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders in New Delhi, fuelling speculation about the upcoming expansion.
Composition of Cabinet
Sources indicate that the new cabinet is likely to include 12 ministers from the BJP, 11 from JD(U), 2 from LJP (Ram Vilas), and one each from HAM and RLM. Additionally, six ministerial positions are expected to be kept vacant for now.
Within JD(U), all eight existing ministers are set to retain their positions. Alongside them, five new faces are likely to be inducted into the cabinet: Shweta Gupta, Bhagwan Kushwaha, Ratnesh Sada, Sheele Mandal, and Bulo Mandal.
The expansion is being seen as a strategic move ahead of upcoming political developments, aimed at balancing caste equations and strengthening the NDA alliance in the state.
Samrat Choudhary as CM
Samrat Choudhary became Chief Minister of Bihar in April 2026 after Nitish Kumar’s resignation. Kumar stepped down voluntarily after being elected to the Rajya Sabha, ending his long tenure and paving the way for BJP leader Choudhary to lead the NDA government. Earlier, there was speculation that Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar would be appointed Deputy Chief Minister. However, he denied accepting any role in the government.
The NDA has 201 seats in Bihar Assembly. The BJP is the single largest party with 88 seats. The JDU has 85 seats.
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