New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Bihar Cabinet in Patna on May 7.

Rajnath Singh took to social media ‘X’ and said, “Tomorrow, 07th May, I shall be in Bihar to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Patna. Later in the evening, I shall be visiting Rajasthan to attend the Joint Commanders’ Conference to be held in Jaipur. Looking forward.”

This Cabinet expansion marks a pivotal moment in Bihar politics. It follows the transition of power after Nitish Kumar vacated the Chief Minister’s post for senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, who was sworn in on April 14.

Earlier in the day, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government held a crucial meeting ahead of the much-anticipated Cabinet expansion.

The meeting is being viewed as the final round of consultations before the formal announcement of the new ministerial team.

According to an official communication issued by the Information and Public Relations Department, Bihar, the Cabinet meeting will be held today at 5:00 P.M. in the Cabinet Hall at the Chief Secretariat in Patna.

This will be followed by a press conference at 6:00 P.M. in the Information Building, where key decisions taken during the meeting are expected to be shared with the media.

The meeting, led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, is expected to focus on finalising preparations for the upcoming expansion and ensuring coordination within the NDA alliance.

Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will later administer the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-inducted ministers during the expansion ceremony.

The Cabinet expansion follows extensive consultations between state leadership and central NDA leadership, including discussions with senior figures of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A key meeting with Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, played a decisive role in shaping the final list of ministers.

Further consultations were also held with NDA allies, including Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Chirag Paswan, reflecting efforts to maintain coalition balance and political coordination within the alliance.

In a notable political development, Samrat Choudhary also met JD(U) National President and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The meeting is being interpreted as a signal of unity within the NDA ahead of the expansion.

Sources indicate that the Cabinet expansion will focus on caste balance, regional representation, and inclusion of both experienced leaders and new faces across alliance partners, including JD(U), BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM(S), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

The decisions taken in today’s meeting are expected to directly shape the final structure of the new Bihar Cabinet.

While Choudhary has already taken the oath alongside Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav from the JD(U), the upcoming expansion will finalise the distribution of portfolios. All eyes are now on the final number of ministries and the power-sharing agreement between the coalition partners.

–IANS

jk/rad