Bihar cabinet expansion: Eight JD(U) leaders take oath as ministers in Nitish Kumar government

Eight JDU leaders took oath as ministers in Nitish Kumar's government as part of cabinet expansion Sunday. Those who took oath as ministers today include Ashok Choudhary, Shyam Rajak, L Prasad, Beema Bharti, Ram Sevak Singh, Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar and Narendra Narayan Yadav. 

Ahead of the expansion, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had met Governor Lalji Tandon earlier in the day and handed over the names of leaders who would take oath as the council of ministers in the Bihar government.

Since JDU and BJP are running a coalition government in Bihar, JDU had asked the latter party to name their leaders who would be inducted in the government as part of cabinet expansion, however, BJP did not give any names and asked JDU to keep ministerial posts those dedicated to its leaders empty.

Bihar cabinet expansion: JDU leaders Ashok Choudhary, Shyam Rajak, L Prasad, Beema Bharti, Ram Sevak Singh, Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar and Narendra Narayan Yadav took oath as ministers today https://t.co/WiJXIKKDM8

— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2019

The JD(U) Thursday decided to not be a part of Narendra Modi's new cabinet, saying it would not accept the BJP's offer of only one ministerial berth.

"They (BJP) wanted only one person from JD(U) in the cabinet, so it would have been just symbolic participation. We informed them that we do not need it (Cabinet berth)," Kumar had said.

The JD(U) chief, who later attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony, said, "It is not a big issue. We are fully in the NDA and not upset at all. We are working together. There is no confusion."

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, JD(U) won 16 seats in Bihar, while BJP bagged 17.

Despite being a part of the NDA, the party was also not part of the last central government.

The BJP, however, is sharing power in the Bihar government with its leader Sushil Kumar Modi.