In the newly formed cabinet of Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the distribution of power reveals a significant disparity. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the largest representation with 14 ministers, including two deputy chief ministers, while the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) has only nine, including the chief minister. However, JD(U) has gained a substantial advantage in terms of budget allocation. As per the latest state budget, the ministries led by the BJP account for merely 29.22% of Bihar’s total annual budget of Rs. 3.16 lakh crore, whereas JD(U) ministries command a formidable 65.73% of the total budget.
The remaining ministries are distributed among National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners based on their political strength, often resulting in smaller budgets: LJP (Ram Vilas) has two ministers, HAM (S) (Jitan Ram Manjhi) has one minister with a budget share of just 0.58%, and RLSP (Upendra Kushwaha) has one minister with a budget share of 3.56%. The chief minister directly oversees miscellaneous portfolios with a budget share of 0.91%. The data illustrates JD(U)’s stronghold on crucial governance functions. The most significant budget belongs to Education Minister Sunil Kumar of JD(U), who manages an annual budget of Rs. 60,964.87 crore, nearly one-fifth of the state’s total expenditures.
Among the BJP ministers, Mangal Pandey oversees Health and Law, controlling a total budget of Rs. 20,035.80 crore for health and Rs. 1,681.72 crore for law. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, responsible for Home Affairs, manages a portfolio valued at Rs. 17,831.21 crore. JD(U) further consolidates its influence in key development ministries: Shravan Kumar in Rural Development with Rs. 16,093.46 crore, Vijay Kumar Choudhary in Water Resources with Rs. 7,451.15 crore, and Bijendra Prasad Yadav in Energy, overseeing Rs. 13,484.35 crore, along with Planning, Finance, Prohibition, and Commercial Tax. JD(U) ministers also seem to manage more multi-departmental portfolios compared to their BJP counterparts.
The BJP still controls several important sectors, including Road Construction and Urban Development, with combined budgets of Rs. 18,788.79 crore, providing a notable, though not overwhelming, fiscal footprint. Among smaller allies, RLSP’s Deepak Prakash holds an unexpectedly significant Panchayati Raj portfolio, with a budget of Rs. 11,302.52 crore, surpassing many BJP portfolios. Overall, the cabinet presents a unique political dynamic: while the BJP holds a numerical majority, JD(U) asserts its dominance through financial control over ministries that shape Bihar’s development.