PATNA: Expansion of the month-old cabinet in Bihar is not on cards as of now. Bihar CM and JDU chief Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said there is no proposal from ally BJP for cabinet expansion.
"When the BJP will feel the need of cabinet expansion, then we will hold a mutual talk over it. So far, no proposal has been received (from the BJP)," Nitish said while responding to a media query on the issue of cabinet expansion, outside the Patna airport here. The CM had gone to the airport to inspect ongoing construction works as part of the airport’s expansion project.
At present, the state cabinet has altogether 14 ministers, less than half of its statutory strength of 36. As per the Constitutional provisions, the Bihar cabinet can have a maximum of 36 ministers (including the CM), which is 15% of the total strength of members in the state assembly.
When Nitish was sworn-in as the CM for a record seventh time on November 16 this year, the governor Phagu Chauhan administered oath of office to 14 ministers also. But later, the education minister Mewalal Choudhary had to resign three days after taking the oath. Thus, the number of ministers in the state cabinet reduced to 14, including the CM.
Earlier the cabinet expansion was expected after the end of the first session of the 17th state assembly that concluded on November 27. JD(U) state working president Ashok Choudhary had once said that cabinet expansion would be done soon after the assembly’s first session. But it could not happen.
Nitish Kumar’s statement came amidst intense speculations about an alleged tussle between the JD(U) and its ally BJP over the sharing of berths in the cabinet. Sources in the NDA said while the JD(U) wants 50% of the berth in the cabinet, the BJP wants its share proportionate to number of MLAs in the assembly. With 74 MLAs, the BJP is the biggest ally in the four-party NDA in Bihar. The JD(U) has 43 MLAs, while the VIP and HAM(S) each has four MLAs. The VIP and the HAM(S) have already given one berth each in the state cabinet.
Some leaders of the saffron party is said to be of the view that the BJP deserved a greater share of the berths in the cabinet on the basis of its biggest tally in the assembly among the NDA allies, the JD(U) leadership is of the opinion that it suffered in the recently-concluded assembly elections mainly because of the LJP’s alleged ‘vote-katwa’ politics. Hence, the JD(U) should be given berth in the cabinet on the basis of seat-sharing formula on 50:50 basis, sources in the NDA said.