State

Patna: Despite women casting votes in record numbers and outperforming male voter turnout in the recent Bihar Assembly election, their representation in the new Nitish Kumar cabinet remains limited. Only three women ministers took oath on Thursday — slightly over 11% of the total ministers sworn in. However, all three are expected to be allotted significant portfolios, according to political sources. The women inducted into the cabinet are Leshi Singh, Rama Nishad, and Shreyasi Singh. Leshi Singh: The Senior-most Woman Minister Leshi Singh, a six-time JD(U) MLA from Dhamdaha in Purnia, is the senior-most among the three. In the previous cabinet, she held the Food and Consumer Protection Department, and is considered a close confidante of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. After the o...

Patna: As Nitish Kumar took oath for the 10th time as Chief Minister of Bihar on Thursday, the composition of his new cabinet made one thing unmistakably clear — the power equation in the state has shifted. For the first time since 2005, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), long the junior partner, has emerged as the senior force in the coalition government. With 89 MLAs, the BJP is now the single largest party, overtaking the JD(U), which has 85 legislators. Though nine ministerial berths remain vacant and are likely to be filled after Makar Sankranti, the cabinet sworn in on Thursday has already revealed the new political balance. BJP Outnumbers JD(U) in Cabinet Strength Despite last-minute tussles over the post of Speaker, the BJP appears to have secured its claim. The party not o...