Three deputy CMs likely as NDA shapes new Bihar cabinet under Nitish Kumar

With the NDA securing a landslide in the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, the process of forming the new government has accelerated. On Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Patna residence turned into a hub of political discussions.

Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai, BJP leader Vijendra Yadav and RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha arrived one after another. According to sources, these meetings focused on the date of the swearing-in ceremony, cabinet formation and the ministerial quota for each NDA constituent.

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Earlier, senior JD(U) leaders Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh met BJP leader Amit Shah to discuss the Chief Minister’s position, the distribution of ministries, the tentative date of the swearing-in ceremony and the names of those who would take oath alongside the Chief Minister. The talks were described as positive and constructive.

The BJP top leadership will now meet the leaders of other NDA constituents, including Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha and Chirag Paswan, to finalise names for the cabinet.

On Sunday, the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar and senior Election Commission officials handed over the final list of newly elected MLAs to Governor of Bihar Arif Mohammad Khan, formally initiating the government-formation process.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to submit his resignation to the Governor on Monday.

Later in the day, a meeting of the NDA legislative party will be held at the CM’s House, where Nitish Kumar is expected to be formally elected as the legislative party leader.

Nitish Kumar is expected to take the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the tenth time before 22 November. The date will be decided depending on the schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government in Bihar.

The sources said that the formula for allocating ministerial positions among NDA constituents has also been finalised. It will be implemented as 6:1—meaning one minister for every six MLAs. Under this formula, the BJP may secure 15 or 16 ministerial berths, the JDU 14, the LJP (Ram Vilas) 3, the RLM of Upendra Kushwaha 1, and the HAM of Manjhi 1.

With attention now focused on the formation of the new government and Nitish Kumar’s future cabinet, it is expected that the new council of ministers will reflect PM Modi’s “MY” formula — ‘Mahila’ (women) and ‘Yuva’ (youth).

There is also speculation in political circles about the possibility of three Deputy Chief Ministers. In 2020 and 2024, the NDA government had two Deputy CMs in Bihar. This time, there is a possibility of adding one more Deputy CM from the LJP (Ram Vilas).

Caste and regional balance are expected to remain key considerations, with special focus on the EBC (Extremely Backward Class) communities that made the biggest contribution to the NDA’s victory.