As the BJP plans to hold a legislative party meeting on Monday in Patna, speculations are rife that current deputy chief ministers Vijay Sinha and Samrat Chaudhary will likely be replaced. The BJP could also replace veteran leaders with upcoming faces, according to reports.
While it is almost certain that atleast one deputy chief minister post will go to the BJP, the names doing the rounds include Ramkripal Yadav and Mangal Pandey. Rajneesh Kumar and Nitin Naveen are other potential names.
Like last time, the BJP will demand the Speaker’s post this time too. Reports are that Vijay Sinha is in the race for the post of Speaker too. It is expected that the BJP could follow the pattern of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in Bihar too, by removing old and veteran leaders and replacing them with fresh faces. In Rajasthan, the BJP has placed its bet entirely on new faces. Seventeen of the 22 ministers were given new opportunities. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, 22 of the 28 ministers were given new cabinet positions.
What the Cabinet will look like
According to sources, this time the cabinet could consist of 30-32 ministers. JDU and BJP could have equal numbers of ministers. Chirag Paswan's party could receive three ministerial positions, while Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha's parties could receive one each. Based on the current assembly strength, Bihar could have a total of 36 ministers.
Though the JD(U) has three seats fewer than the BJP in the alliance, the party is unlikely to compromise on a ministerial berth. In the previous government, there were 13 ministers from the JDU quota. It's possible that 10 of these ministers could be reappointed in the new government. As per reports, the party is not in the mood for a Cabinet reshuffle.
The 10 potential ministers from JD(U) include Vijay Choudhary, Bijendra Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Lacey Singh, Madan Sahni, Jayant Raj, Maheshwar Hazari, and Santosh Nirala.
