Bihar cabinet expanded, new ministers vow to speed up development (Lead)
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Patna, Feb 26 (IANS) The new Bihar BJP ministers, who were inducted into the Cabinet on Wednesday, vowed to work for the developmental agenda of the party ahead of upcoming Assembly elections.
Senior BJP MLA Jibesh Kumar Mishra, who became minister for the second time, said they have less time ahead of the Assembly elections and asked all to cooperate for the cause of development.
Interacting with media persons after being sworn in, Mishra said that they would fight the elections under the capable leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputies Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
He said the NDA would secure over 200 seats in the coming elections on the basis of its developmental achievements.
Meanwhile, minister Raju Kumar Singh thanked the party for reposing confidence in him, saying ‘he would work with full commitment’.
He also reiterated that the BJP has less time to prove themselves but they would work with full dedication. He said he would accept any responsibility given to him by the party.
BJP minister Sanjay Saraogi also said that they would fulfil the responsibilities given to them with honesty and dedication.
Earlier, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet and inducted seven BJP MLAs.
The BJP ministers are Sanjay Saraogi, a five-term MLA from Darbhanga. Saraogi is a prominent leader in the Marwari community. Notably, he took his oath in Maithili.
Sunil Kumar, representing Bihar Sharif, has been elected five times. He belongs to the Koeri caste and has previously been associated with the JD-U before joining the BJP in 2015.
Jibesh Kumar Mishra, the MLA from Jale, is from the Bhumihar community and has prior experience as a minister. He also took his oath in the Maithili language.
Raju Kumar Singh represents Sahebganj in Muzaffarpur. Singh belongs to the Rajput caste. He was previously with the Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) joining the BJP.
Motilal Prasad is the MLA from Riga in Sitamarhi. Prasad is a member of the Vaishya community.
Krishna Kumar Mantu, representing Amnour in Saran district, belongs to the Kurmi caste. He recently garnered attention for organising a significant ‘Kurmi Chetna Rally’ in Patna.
Vijay Kumar Mandal, representing the Sikti assembly constituency in Araria district, is from the Kewat community, categorised under the extremely backward classes.
With the expansion, the strength of the Nitish Kumar council of ministers has risen to 37 in which BJP’s share has increased from 16 to 22 while the JD-U has 13 ministers including the Chief Minister and one minister is from HIndustani Awam Morcha and another one is an independent.
Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled at the end of 2025.
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