Nitish Government Revives 10 State-Level Commissions

Ahead of this year's Assembly elections, Bihar revives commissions apparently to balance alliances, and not empower communities.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for October-November 2025, the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government has revived 10 state-level commissions, covering nearly every politically relevant segment—from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to minorities, upper castes, Mahadalits, madrasa educators, food security, fishermen, and price regulation.

While officially projected as inclusive and welfare-oriented, the structure and composition of these bodies point to a calculated political exercise aimed at rewarding loyalists, managing caste equations, and accommodating relatives of alliance leaders.

The Scheduled Caste Commission is emblematic of this trend. Dubbed by critics as the "Damaad Aayog" (Son-in-law Commission), its chairman, Mrinal Paswan, is the son-in-law of the late Ram Vilas Paswan and brother-in-law of LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan. The vice-chairman, Devendra Kumar, is the son-in-law of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Both appointments, critics argue, serve alliance balancing rather than community empowerment. The nickname reflects growing public cynicism over how key posts are increasingly handed out to relatives of influential politicians, often prioritizing family and political loyalty over merit or grassroots engagement.

The Scheduled Tribe Commission, the Minority Commission, and the Mahadalit Commission have followed similar lines. Shailendra Kumar has been named chairman of the ST Commission, while the Minority Commission is now headed by JDU's Ghulam Rasool. The Mahadalit Commission is chaired by JDU leader Manoj Kumar, son of its founding chairman Vishwanath Rishi.