Nishant Kumar may join Bihar cabinet, JD(U) seeks 16 ministerial berths

Ahead of a significant expansion of the Bihar cabinet on Thursday, there is growing speculation that Nishant Kumar, son of former chief minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, might join the Samrat Choudhary cabinet.

At the same time, JD(U)’s Bihar President Umesh Kushwaha stated on Wednesday that the party is aiming for 16 positions in the cabinet.

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“We have clearly communicated our demand for 16 berths,” Kushwaha said during a press briefing.

Samrat Choudhary took oath as chief minister on April 15, along with Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav serving as his deputies.

The cabinet expansion is scheduled to take place on Thursday at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President Nitin Nabin, besides other dignitaries.

On Wednesday, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha, along with Deputy CM Vijay Choudhary, met Nitish Kumar to finalise the party’s list of candidates for the cabinet. The possible inclusion of Nishant Kumar was also discussed during the meeting.

After Nitish Kumar decided to step down as chief minister and moved to the Rajya Sabha, there had been speculation about Nishant being considered for the deputy chief minister’s role. However, he reportedly declined such proposals despite efforts by party members to convince him.

Sources indicate that Nishant preferred not to take up a senior post without first gaining electoral experience. He is said to have wanted to work directly with the public and contest an election to become an MLA before assuming major responsibilities. His plan involved spending time at the grassroots level to better understand public issues.

According to sources, senior JD(U) leaders including Sanjay Jha, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), and Deputy CM Choudhary, eventually persuaded him to accept a role in the cabinet.

Nishant is currently on his maiden state-wide “Sadbhav Yatra”.