Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has relinquished control of the powerful Home Ministry, marking a major shift in the state’s governance structure. His deputy, BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, has now taken charge of the key portfolio as the new cabinet responsibilities were officially assigned on Friday. This move is significant, as it’s the first time in nearly 20 years that Nitish will not oversee the Home Department.

The development follows reports of tense discussions within the NDA coalition before Nitish Kumar’s oath-taking ceremony, particularly over JD(U)’s reluctance to give up the influential Home Ministry.

With Samrat Choudhary now leading the department, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s growing influence in the Bihar power balance becomes more apparent. The new role places the Deputy Chief Minister at the forefront of the state's law and order system, along with the sensitive task of addressing issues in the Seemanchal border region.

Another Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, has been allocated the Land and Revenue Department along with Mines and Geology. Mangal Pandey will oversee both Health and Law portfolios, while Dilip Jaiswal is now in charge of the Industry Department.

Nitin Nabin has taken charge of the Road Construction Ministry as well as Urban Development and Housing. Ramkripal Yadav will lead the Agriculture Department, and Sanjay Tiger will handle Labour Resources—appointments that reflect efforts to strengthen administration through strategic restructuring.

Arun Shankar Prasad will manage Tourism alongside Art, Culture, and Youth Affairs, while Surendra Mehta takes over Animal and Fisheries Resources. The Disaster Management Department has been assigned to Narayan Prasad.

Rama Nishad of the BJP will lead the Backward and Extremely Backward Class Welfare Department, and Lakhedar Paswan will oversee the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department. Shreyasi Singh has been entrusted with both the Information Technology and Sports Ministries.

Pramod Chandravanshi will handle Cooperation, Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Chirag Paswan’s party has secured the Sugarcane and Public Health Engineering Departments. The Hindustani Awam Morcha retains charge of the Minor Water Resources Department under Santosh Suman. Deepak Prakash has been appointed Minister for Panchayati Raj.

The new cabinet reshuffle marks a notable repositioning of responsibilities among NDA allies, signalling a power-sharing equation that places the BJP closer to the administrative centre in Bihar.