Chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government’s Cabinet is likely to be expanded after the inauspicious month of kharmas, January 15 with as many as 10 new Ministers may join the cabinet. Currently, only 25 Ministers, some of them with several portfolios, are working in the Cabinet after BJP MLA Nitin Nabin had resigned recently from the Cabinet as Minister of several departments. In 243-member State assembly, a total of 36 Ministers including the Chief Minister, could be appointed.

Party insiders in JD(U) told The Hindu that the Cabinet could be expanded after the inauspicious month of kharmas which goes frommid-December to mid-January. “Some new Ministers, including new faces could be sworn in as Ministers in the Cabinet”, a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity. Top leaders from the ruling alliance party JD(U) had, recently, chat over the issue with alliance party leadership BJP in Delhi, he added. However, the party grapevine also added that “some big political developments” might take place in Bihar after the inauspicious period of Kharmas. When pressed further, they refused to divulge more saying, “just wait for the days to come and you’ll know of it”.

After the NDA government came to power again in the State in November this year, the new Cabinet of 26 Ministers—14 from the BJP, eight from JD(U), two from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and one each from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) — led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took oath with some Ministers like Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Vijay Choudhary and others looking after several departments. Of late, in December 2025, following the party’s principal of “one person, one post”, the five-time BJP MLA from Bankipore constituency of Patna district, Nitin Nbain was appointed as party’s national working president and he had to resign as minister of Road Construction, Urban development & Housing department and Law Department from the Cabinet. Currently, only 25 Ministers are working in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, excluding Mr Kumar. Sources in the ruling NDA, though, said, as many as 10 legislators (six from JD-U and four from the BJP) would be sworn-in as Ministers in the Cabinet expansion. In 243-member state assembly, a total of 36 Ministers including the Chief Minister, could be appointed.