Bihar's New NDA Cabinet: BJP Tightens Grip with Deputy CM Picks Critical of Nitish Kumar

Patna: In a political move that sent shockwaves through Bihar, the newly formed NDA government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar surprised everyone with its deputy chief minister picks. While the JD(U) opted for familiar faces, the BJP sprang a surprise by choosing Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha – both leaders critics of Nitish Kumar in the past. This strategic move signals the BJP's intent to keep Nitish on a tighter leash, marking a departure from previous coalition dynamics.

Choudhary, a prominent OBC leader and the state BJP president, has openly criticized Nitish Kumar, even going so far as to vow to remove his turban only after Nitish's ouster. Sinha, a former speaker and upper caste leader from the opposition, has also had a public spat with the Chief Minister over police action in his constituency. These appointments, sources within the BJP suggest, are a deliberate attempt to address the perceived ineffectiveness of previous deputies in managing Nitish Kumar during periods of friction within the NDA alliance.

On the other hand, Sinha as Speaker had a spat with the CM over police action in his constituency Lakhisarai.

“This is an indication that BJP leadership wants to keep Nitish on a tight leash as the two are neither docile like his previous deputies or too friendly like Sushil Kumar Modi was,” said a senior BJP leader to ThePrint on condition of anonymity.

When BJP-JD(U) relations were in crisis in 2022 there was very little then deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad could do to prevent the downward slide. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan had to fly to Patna to meet Nitish, making a futile effort to save the alliance. Both Deputy CMs, Prasad and Renu Devi — installed by the BJP after removing Sushil Kumar Modi from the post following the 2020 assembly polls — were considered too feeble to tackle Nitish.

The third to be sworn in as BJP minister is old hand Dr Prem Kumar. An eight-time MLA from Gaya seat, Kumar has been a minister in the previous government. However, after 2020 he was dumped along with the old guards, which included deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishor Yadav. Kumar hails from the Chandravanshi caste which comes under the economically backward classes (EBC) block.

Meanwhile, JD(U) has relied on trusted hands. Apart from Nitish Kumar, others to take oath were Vijendra Prasad Yadav, who has held the energy department for the past 15 years; Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who held the finance department portfolio in the previous government and has emerged as Nitish’s crisis manager and as the one the CM sends in to negotiate with other parties; and Shravan Kumar, minister of rural development in the previous ministry, who is also from the same caste and district as Nitish – Kurmi and Nalanda, respectively.

Two others took the total strength to nine — Santosh Manjhi, son of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and minister in the previous ministry until Nitish ousted the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) from the alliance last year; and Independent MLA Sumit Singh, who has been a minister throughout the current Nitish regime.

“We were with the NDA earlier too. In between, we went with some other party, but now we are back with the BJP. People of our party feel that they should go with BJP. Right now, eight people have been sworn in. There will be swearing in of more ministers. Two deputy chief ministers have been named, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. We have taken this decision in the interest of the state,” Nitish Kumar told the media after taking oath.

The oath-taking ceremony witnessed contrasting reactions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Nitish Kumar, while the RJD, the former opposition alliance, expressed a sarcastic appreciation for the BJP's decision to "take Nitish." Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, in a video message, highlighted the achievements of the JD(U)-RJD grand alliance, ironically thanking the BJP for including Nitish Kumar's party.

However, the RJD's bonhomie did not extend to Nitish Kumar himself. Tej Pratap Yadav, the younger Yadav brother, dubbed Nitish "Palti Kumar," a reference to his history of switching political alliances, while his sister Rohini Acharya labeled him "garbage."

These contrasting reactions and the BJP's strategic appointments in the cabinet point towards a potentially turbulent political landscape in Bihar. The unexpected composition of the new government throws open questions about the future of the NDA alliance, the dynamics between Nitish Kumar and the BJP, and the course of Bihar's political trajectory. Whether this is a masterstroke by the BJP or a recipe for future discord remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – Bihar's political chessboard just got a whole lot more interesting.