Bihar cabinet expansion today; LJP to join government

The Lok Jan Shakti Party, led by Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, will join the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will expand his cabinet on Saturday. Around 34 members of the Bihar legislative assembly, including 19 from Janata Dal (United), will take oath as ministers, according to reports. The newly formed JDU-BJP government is all set to re-shuffle the cabinet. The swearing-in is likely to take place in Raj Bhawan at 5pm.

BJP state president Nityanand Rai told a TV channel that the new cabinet would have 19 members Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and nine from the BJP, among others, reports Hindustan Times.

Among those likely to be inducted are Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Lesy Singh, Shrawan Kumar,Jai Kumar Singh and Khursheed Alam from JD(U); Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Rajneesh Kumar, Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo and Ramprit Paswan from BJP and Pashupati Kumar Paras from Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

The Lok Jan Shakti Party, led by Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, will join the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar. Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular) leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has ruled out joining the new ministry. Manjhi is the lone MLA of his party.

The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government on Friday secured 131 votes against the opposition's 108 during the floor test in the Bihar Assembly.

"I would term the decision (Nitish aligning with NDA) as better late than never, rather I would say that it is a good decision indeed," Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters in Patna.

Kumar was sworn in on Thursday, a day after he dumped the Grand Alliance and joined hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had also taken oath as deputy chief minister along with Kumar.

OneIndia News