The JD(U) has really upped the pressure just a day before the big ceremony at Gandhi Maidan in Patna by officially requesting those 16 positions in the cabinet. Umesh Kushwaha, the head of the JD(U) in the state, made this request, and it could completely change how power is divided within the BJP-led coalition.
This last-minute insistence is testing how well the BJP can manage its partners in government as Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary gets ready to bring in the new ministers this Thursday. It’s likely to be a large event in the capital, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah (the Union Home Minister) and Nitin Nabin (the BJP president) are all probably going to attend.
Shift from earlier seat share expectations
Initially, people thought the JD(U) would get a bigger share of the jobs because the BJP had gotten to pick the Chief Minister. However, on Tuesday, reports said the BJP was likely to get 12 and the JD(U) 11.
Kushwaha said on Wednesday, very clearly, “We have said we want 16.” This specific request restarts the negotiations and shows the party intends to use its strength as an organization to get many of its people into minister positions.
Cabinet size and constitutional limits
The number of positions available is limited by the Constitution, which says the cabinet can only be 15% of the total number of members of the legislative assembly. Bihar has 243 MLAs, meaning they can have 36 ministers including the Chief Minister.
After the expansion, the government is expected to have 30 ministers. For comparison, the last time Nitish Kumar was Chief Minister, he ran his government with a smaller cabinet of only 27 ministers.
Right now, the cabinet includes BJP Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and two long-time JD(U) leaders as Deputy Chief Ministers: Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad. This temporary situation has made everyone pay close attention to how the responsibilities (portfolios) will be given out now.
Allies eyeing space in the council
Aside from the BJP and JD(U), the smaller parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are waiting for their chance. These include Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM (who is a member of the Rajya Sabha). They too are expected to each get a position in Samrat Choudhary’s cabinet.
These parties were in the cabinet that was formed last November under Nitish Kumar. How many they get this time will show how the BJP balances having lots of different parties involved with actually running the government efficiently.
Here are the key moving pieces the expansion must reconcile:
– JDU demands 16 berths, stakes a bigger share
– Reports suggested BJP likely 12, JDU 11
– Bihar can have 36 ministers, including the CM
– Cabinet strength after expansion expected at 30
– Junior allies likely one berth each
Signals from JD(U) on leadership roles
When Kushwaha was asked if Nishant Kumar (Nitish Kumar’s son) might be made a minister, questions about a change to a younger generation of leaders came up. He responded, “The party has always wanted Nishant to be a minister. He could have been a Deputy Chief Minister immediately.”
Kushwaha then said, “But we should respect his feelings. He’s chosen not to take on positions of power for now and wants to focus on building up the organization.” Interestingly, Nishant started ‘Sadbhav Yatra’ earlier this week as his first public event to get people to like and trust him.
What comes next
This expansion of the government follows a major change. Last month, Nitish Kumar (the JD(U)’s national president) stopped being Chief Minister after being elected to the Rajya Sabha, and Samrat Choudhary took his place. He is the first leader from the BJP to be in charge of the government in Bihar.
Now, everyone is looking at the ceremony at Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. The result will tell us if the JD(U) will get their 16 positions, or if the final numbers will be closer to the earlier estimate of 12 for the BJP and 11 for the JD(U), while also finding room for the smaller allies within the 30-person limit.
