With elections nearing, BJP strengthens its presence in Bihar government, balancing caste and regional factors.
New Delhi: With barely nine months remaining for the NDA-ruled Bihar to go to polls, chief minister Nitish Kumar's Cabinet on Wednesday reached its full strength of 36 after seven BJP MLAs were inducted into his council of ministers. The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in October-November. The NDA has set a target of winning more than 200 seats.
Ahead of the Cabinet expansion, the Bihar CM had met ally BJP president J.P. Nadda on Tuesday in Patna. On Monday, the CM had shared the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event in the state. Both Mr Modi and Mr Nadda had praised Mr Kumar including for his government's development work. Two days later, the BJP exhibited its bargaining power during the long-pending Cabinet expansion. The party now has 21 ministers in the Nitish Kumar-led government. The JD(U) has 13 ministers, the HAM and Independent one each.
The BJP considered both the caste equation and regional aspiration in deciding its seven MLAs. Most of the new inductees are from north Bihar from where the NDA won 40 of the 60 Assembly seats.
Ahead of the Cabinet expansion, BJP state unit president Dilip Jaiswal resigned from his ministership, following the party's "one man, one post" policy. Mr Jaiswal was named the BJP Bihar president last month.
Out of the seven, Raju Kumar Singh and Jibesh Mishra belong to the upper caste, while the other five are from OBC and EBC. The first to be administered the oath by governor Arif Mohammad Khan was Sanjay Saraogi, a Vaishya by caste. Second was Sunil Kumar, who had joined the BJP in 2013 from the JD(U), when the latter had opposed Narendra Modi's candidature for the Prime Minister's post for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The JD(U) had quit the BJP-led NDA fold then. A Koeri by caste, Mr Kumar has produced three Bhojpuri films and is a businessman.
Mr Mishra, a Bhumihar by caste, also joined the Nitish Kumar team. He was in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students wing of the RSS, and is also a former minister.
Starting his political career from LJP Raju Kumar Singh, a Rajput, was also included in Team Nitish.
Belonging to the EBC group Moti Lal Prasad, a Teli by caste, and Krishna Kumar Mantoo, a Kurmi, who started from student politics were also administered oath of office by the governor. Starting his political career as an independent MLA in 2000 Vijay Kumar Mandal, a Kevat by caste, was the seventh BJP MLA to take oath.
In Bihar politics, EBCs are considered a strong votebank of JD(U) leader Mr Kumar, who himself belongs to the Kurmi caste, which falls under the OBC category.
