After winning the trust vote in the Bihar Assembly, the Samrat Choudhary-led NDA government in Bihar is now gearing up for Cabinet expansion that is likely to take place on May 6. Within political circles, there is speculation that both the ruling alliance partners Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (United) have agreed to appoint 16 Ministers each, including the Chief Minister and two Deputy CMs, while its three other smaller allies will get four Ministers in the new Cabinet.There is a Constitutional limit of a maximum of 36 Ministers in the State Cabinet.

Most Ministers from previous Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s council are likely to be repeated in the new Cabinet. “The Cabinet expansion may happen next month on May 6 with more or less the familiar faces of previous Nitish Kumar-led Cabinet,” said a senior JD(U) leader, who was also a Minister in the NDA regime led by Mr. Kumar. “Let the results of Assembly polls of four States come,” the leader, preferring anonymity, added.