Nitish drops home portfolio after 20 years, JD(U) rattled

In a development that has stirred Bihar's political landscape, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has relinquished the home department for the first time in his more than 20-year tenure at the helm, prompting unrest within the JD(U) ranks and sharpening scrutiny of the BJP's rising influence in the state government.

- SHIKHA SALARIA

Newly sworn-in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar meets JDU leaders, MLAs and JDU workers, in Patna on Friday. ANI

The portfolio allocation for the 27-member council of ministers, released on Friday evening, marks a striking shift in Bihar's power balance. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP has been handed the home department—widely regarded as the most powerful portfolio in any state—giving him control of the 1.10-lakh-strong Bihar Police and the state's intelligence wings. For decades, Nitish Kumar has retained this department as a central lever of governance, making this handover politically significant.

Nitish, however, has held on to key administrative portfolios, including general administration, cabinet secretariat, vigilance, election, and all other unallocated departments.