Nitish to induct new ministers today, RJD may get speaker post

PATNA,AUG 16: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to expand his cabinet on Tuesday a week after he was sworn-in as Chief Minister of the Mahagathbandhan government.

The list of the probable ministers was submitted to Raj Bhavan late Monday following a meeting of Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Congress in-charge Bhakt Charan Das with Nitish.

Earlier, Tejashwi and Das reached 1 Anne Marg, official residence of the CM with the list of probable ministers from their respective parties. It has been agreed that the new Speaker will be from the RJD.

Sources said that there would be 17 ministers from the RJD, 12 from the JD(U), three from the Congress, one each from the HAM and Left parties. However, only two ministers from the Congress will take oath on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, a video went viral wherein party workers were seen protesting against Das. The incident took place soon after Das revealed that the Congress would be getting three ministerial berths in the Mahagathbandhan government – two now and one later. However, the agitating workers were pacified by senior leaders.

Later talking to media persons, Das said that two Congress MLAs would take oath as ministers on August 16 and one more legislator would be inducted into the Nitish government in the next cabinet expansion.

Nitish and Tejashwi had taken oath as CM and deputy CM on August 10, a day after the JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA and joined hands with the RJD, Congress and other parties.

-TNIE