Daijiworld Media Network – Patna

Patna, Nov 23: In a major political shift in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has lost the crucial Home Department portfolio for the first time in nearly twenty years. Except for a brief period, Nitish had held the Home Ministry uninterruptedly since 2005, regardless of the alliance in power.

The new allocation of ministerial portfolios was announced on Friday evening, revealing that Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary will now head the Home Department.

Nitish Kumar will continue to handle several key ministries — General Administration, Cabinet Secretariat, and Vigilance — and will also oversee any department that remains without a minister. Known widely as ‘Sushasan Babu’, Nitish has long projected his success in restoring law and order in Bihar after the ‘Jungle Raj’ era. Political observers say losing the Home Ministry marks a significant change in his administrative authority.

Across India, Chief Ministers generally retain the Home portfolio to ensure firm control over the state’s administrative machinery. Bengal too follows this practice, with Mamata Banerjee serving as Home Minister. Even during the Left Front era under Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, this unwritten rule remained unchanged. Analysts believe that in Bihar, the shift indicates a rise in BJP’s influence within the state administration.

Reports had earlier suggested that the BJP, the largest party in the NDA alliance by seat share, was firm on securing the Home Department during negotiations with Nitish’s JD(U). With the final allocation, the BJP has officially taken charge of the key ministry.

Bihar’s second Deputy Chief Minister, BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha, has been given Revenue & Land Reforms, Mines and Geology. Senior BJP leader Mangal Pandey will handle both Health and Law. Former RJD leader and now BJP MLA Ramkripal Yadav has been appointed Agriculture Minister, while BJP MLA Dilip Jaiswal will head the Department of Commercial Taxes.

Although the JD(U) has lost the Home Department, it retains control of the crucial Finance Ministry. JD(U) legislator Bijendra Prasad Yadav has been named the new Finance Minister, and will also handle Power, Planning & Development, and Food & Consumer Protection. Nitish loyalist Vijay Chaudhary will oversee Housing, Water Resources, and Parliamentary Affairs. JD(U)’s Shrawan Kumar has been assigned Rural Development and Public Works, while Ashok Chaudhary will manage the Rural Development portfolio.

Olympic shooter and Jamui BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh, who took oath as a minister on Thursday, has been given charge of Sports and Information Technology. Deepak Prakash, son of RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha, will head the Panchayati Raj Department. Santosh Suman, son of HAM(S) chief and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, has been appointed Minister for Minor Water Resources.

With the reshuffle complete, the new power balance within the Bihar government has become evident, signalling the BJP’s growing footprint in the state’s administrative setup.