CM reshuffles district roles for ministers ahead of polls

Patna: In a politically significant move that comes months ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, CM Nitish Kumar on Friday reshuffled 35 ministerial in-charges in the state's 38 districts, potentially setting the stage for intensified administrative oversight and ground-level political engagement.
The reshuffle, formalised through a notification issued by the state cabinet secretariat department, nullifies the previous allocation of districts and hands fresh responsibilities to key members of the NDA coalition. These in-charges not only hold ministerial portfolios but also serve as chairpersons of the district programme implementation committees, wielding considerable influence in their assigned regions.
Among the most notable changes, deputy CM Samrat Choudhary has been appointed the ministerial in-charge of Patna, a high-profile district critical to any party's electoral fortunes. His counterpart, deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, has been handed the politically sensitive Muzaffarpur district.
Three senior JD(U) ministers have been entrusted with dual districts, underlining their continued prominence in the CM's strategic calculations. Vijay Kumar Choudhary will now oversee Purnia and Nalanda, the latter being Nitish Kumar's home turf. Shrawan Kumar has been given charge of Samastipur and Madhepura while Ashok Choudhary has been assigned Sitamarhi and Jehanabad.
Senior BJP leader Bijendra Prasad Yadav will oversee Vaishali while former minister Prem Kumar takes charge of Kaimur, both considered electorally vital zones.
The updated list features an extensive mix of senior and junior ministers, each allocated a specific district – Santosh Kumar Suman (Aurangabad), Sumit Kumar Singh (Saran), Renu Devi (Siwan), Mangal Pandey (Darbhanga), Neeraj Kumar Singh (Katihar), Leshi Singh (Madhubani), Nadan Sahani (Supaul), Nitish Mishra (Araria), Nitin Navin (Buxar), Maheshwar Hazari (Khagaria), Sheila Kumari (Lakhisarai), Sunil Kumar (East Champaran), Janak Ram (West Champaran), Hari Sahani (Arwal), Krishnanandan Paswan (Gopalganj) and Jayant Raj (Rohtas).
Others named include Mohammad Jama Khan (Kishanganj), Ratnesh Sada (Jamui), Kedar Prasad Gupta (Bhojpur), Surendra Mehta (Banka), Santosh Kumar Singh (Bhagalpur), Sanjay Saraogi (Begusarai), Dr Sunil Kumar (Gaya), Jiwesh Kumar (Nawada), Raju Kumar Singh (Sheikhpura), Moti Lal Prasad (Sheohar), Vijay Kumar Mandal (Saharsa) and Krishna Kumar Mantu (Munger).
While the reshuffle is officially administrative, it is widely interpreted as a precursor to on-ground political mobilisation. As Bihar inches closer to the polls, the move may serve dual objectives – smoother delivery of public welfare schemes and greater visibility of ruling alliance figures in constituencies that matter.