Patna, May 7 (IANS) The NDA government in Bihar, led by Samrat Chaudhary, expanded its cabinet on Thursday, with 32 ministers taking the oath of office during a grand ceremony held at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.

The newly expanded cabinet includes 15 ministers from the BJP, 13 from the JD(U), two from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), one from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and one from Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Among the prominent new entrants was Nishant Kumar, son of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Amid the high-profile political proceedings, a humorous moment during the oath-taking ceremony drew attention.

As per protocol, ministers are required to sign official oath documents after taking the oath.

During the first phase of the ceremony, five ministers — Shravan Kumar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dilip Jaiswal, Nishant Kumar, and Leshi Singh — were invited together to take the oath.

Following the oath, five designated chairs and tables had been arranged on the dais for the signing process, with each minister’s official documents placed before their assigned seat.

While Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Sinha took their seats without confusion, an amusing mix-up occurred when Nishant Kumar accidentally sat in the chair designated for Dilip Jaiswal.

When Jaiswal approached to sign his papers, he found Nishant already seated there.

According to those present, Dilip Jaiswal politely informed Nishant that the documents placed before that seat belonged to him and requested him to move to the adjacent chair, where Nishant’s own documents had been placed. Nishant then shifted to the correct seat.

The moment became even more noticeable when Nishant reportedly needed assistance locating the signature spaces on the documents.

Dilip Jaiswal initially guided him regarding where to sign, while Leshi Singh was later seen helping him complete the formalities.

The light-hearted exchange briefly added an informal touch to an otherwise grand and politically significant ceremony, drawing smiles from leaders and attendees present on the dais.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, and several senior NDA leaders.

Chief Ministers from multiple states, along with NDA Union Ministers from Bihar, including Chirag Paswan, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, were also present at the event.

–IANS

ajk/dpb