Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday chose to play down speculations surrounding the expansion of his cabinet by saying it is in the offing some time next year.

"I had said after Dussehra, which means before the one falling next year, Kumar said.

Kumar, who is also the of the Janata Dal (United), made the remark in Patna in reply to queries from journalists on the sidelines of a function organised on the occasion of establishment day of the state disaster management authority.

Names of probable candidates that have been doing the rounds include JD(U) MLC and spokesman Neeraj Kumar and Ashok Choudhary, a former state Congress president and a powerful minister in the previous Grand Alliance government, who joined the Chief Ministers party earlier this year.

Initially, the name of Prashant Kishor, poll strategist-turned-politician, who joined the party at its state executive meet recently, was also being considered among the probables.

However, upon his elevation as national vice-president, it is being said that he is likely to remain engaged with the partys crucial backroom operations.

Speculations are also rife that BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan may be inducted from his partys quota.

A number of key departments in the state are at present without full-time ministers, most notable being social welfare which fell vacant upon the resignation of Manju Verma following the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal and of which education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma is at present holding the additional charge.