Bihar Power Shift: Nitish Cedes Home Ministry, BJP's Samrat Chaudhary Takes Charge

This special report covers the portfolio distribution in the Bihar cabinet, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has relinquished the Home Ministry for the first time since 2005. The key portfolio has been allocated to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary now appointed as the new Home Minister of Bihar. According to political analyst Rohit Singh, 'it would be very safe to say that he perhaps is the mini chief minister in Bihar now.' The report analyses this development as a significant power shift within the state's NDA government, reflecting the BJP's strength as the larger party in the coalition. The transfer is presented as a major compromise by Nitish Kumar, who had held the portfolio for nearly two decades to project a strong image on law and order, in contrast to the preceding 'Jungle Raj' era.