Nitish Kumar’s 26-Member Cabinet Reflects Caste Balance and Social Engineering

The new lineup includes one Muslim, one Yadav, and three women, alongside a mix of seasoned leaders and ten first-time ministers, reflecting the NDA’s strategy to ensure broad representation across caste groups.

A senior NDA leader noted, “It was the caste equation that guided our decisions, ensuring participation of almost all prominent castes under NiMo leadership.”

Key Continuity and New Faces
Veteran JD(U) leaders like Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, and Shrawan Kumar retained their portfolios, while BJP stalwarts such as Mangal Pandey, Pramod Kumar, Surendra Prasad Mehta, and Nitin Nabin also continued. A notable inclusion is BJP state president Dileep Jaiswal, hinting at future leadership shifts under the party’s “one person, one post” policy.

Smaller allies maintained representation, with HAM(S) nominating Santosh Kumar Suman, son of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi. New inductees like Olympian Shreyasi Singh and Rama Nishad were included to enhance outreach among women and EBC voters, while Deepak Prakash, son of RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, will soon move to the legislative council.

To consolidate the Yadav vote bank, BJP brought back former Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav from the Yadav-dominated Danapur constituency.

Challenges Ahead for NDA
The cabinet faces multiple hurdles, including:

• Implementing financial promises such as providing ₹2 lakh to women and executing the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.
• Boosting employment and industrialization to curb migration from Bihar.
• Maintaining law and order in a politically sensitive environment.
• Delivering visible progress for OBCs, Dalits, and EBCs, critical for sustaining electoral support.
• Coordinating alliance partners on policies, including sensitive issues like Waqf reforms.
• Responding to opposition pressure from RJD and Jan Suraaj Party on development and accountability.

The composition of Nitish Kumar 10.0 underscores a calculated blend of experience, representation, and political strategy, setting the tone for the NDA government’s second consecutive term in Bihar.