BJP bats big on young faces, picks 5 rookie ministers

Patna: The cabinet expansion of chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Thursday set the road map for the BJP’s strategy to groom younger leaders with grassroots-level support. The party sprang surprises by inducting five first-time ministers from its quota of 16 and dropping Bengal incharge Mangal Pandey, who had served as a minister in previous NDA govts led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The BJP registered a massive mandate in the Bengal assembly elections last month.JD(U) also surprised many by inducting Dr Shweta Gupta, a medical professional and first-time MLA from Sheohar. Interestingly, the party had shifted Chetan Anand from his parents’ stronghold of Sheohar to Aurangabad to accommodate Shweta during the 2025 assembly elections. Shweta is the first woman elected MLA from the Sheohar assembly constituency.With former chief minister Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar now becoming a minister, the JD(U) also preferred former RJD MP Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal over sitting MLA Gopal Mandal from the Gopalpur seat in Bhagalpur in 2025. The party also made Bulo a minister as representation for the Dhanaut caste.Though the swearing-in ceremony generated several political talking points, one brief moment on stage drew the maximum attention. Union home minister Amit Shah warmly embraced Mangal Pandey, patted him on the back and spoke to him briefly. Political circles were abuzz with speculation over the new role the BJP might have in mind for Pandey, a former state party president who had also served as incharge in several states where the BJP later won elections. Experts speculated he could either get a Union cabinet berth or a key organisational role in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, as Shah’s public gesture was viewed as more than a routine greeting.Shah, who stayed overnight in Patna to finalise the BJP’s ministerial list, also picked low-profile leaders with RSS backgrounds and grassroots-level organisational experience. Among them were Nand Kishore Ram and Kumar Shailendra. Though her name had been doing the rounds, Rama Nishad from the Mallah community eventually secured a ministerial berth ahead of seasoned leader Sangeeta Kumari.