Eight new ministers from JD(U) inducted into Bihar cabinet

Ashok Chaudhary, Shyam Rajak, Laxmeshwar Prasad, Bhima Bharati, Ram Sevak Singh, Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar and Narendra Narayan Yadav were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Lalji Tandon at Rajbhavan in Bihar.

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In Short

  • Eight ministers from Janata Dal (United) have been inducted in the Bihar cabinet
  • JD(U) on May 30 decided to not be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new Cabinet
  • JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak negated the claims of rift between the BJP and the JD(U)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his Council of Ministers on Sunday, with the inclusion of eight new ministers from the Janata Dal (United).

Ashok Chaudhary, Shyam Rajak, Laxmeshwar Prasad, Bhima Bharati, Ram Sevak Singh, Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar and Narendra Narayan Yadav were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Lalji Tandon at Rajbhavan in Bihar.

Negating the claim that there is a rift between the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and JD(U) over the allotment of only one ministerial berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new cabinet, newly-inducted minister Shyam Rajak told ANI, "National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is intact. People are merely spreading rumours."

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Echoing similar sentiment, another JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar who also took an oath today, had said, "JDU will never leave NDA."

"Ministry formation is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. I have performed all the responsibility given to me by my party. I am glad that Nitish Kumar chose me," he added.

Former Bihar unit Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary, who was inducted in the cabinet today, also instated that NDA coalition is intact.

JD(U) on May 30 decided to not be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new Cabinet, saying it would not accept the the BJP's offer of only one ministerial berth.

"They [BJP] wanted only one person from JD(U) in the Cabinet. So, it would have been just symbolic participation. We informed them that we do not need it [Cabinet berth]," Nitish Kumar had said.

The JD(U) chief, who later attended PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony, said, "It is not a big issue. We are fully in the NDA and are not upset at all. We are working together. There is no confusion."

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, JD(U) won 16 seats in Bihar, while the BJP bagged 17.

Despite being a part of the NDA, the party was also not part of the last Central government.

BJP, however, is sharing power in Bihar with its leader Sushil Kumar Modi as the state's Deputy Chief Minister.