34 ministers, including 9 from BJP, likely to join Team Nitish in Bihar cabinet expansion today

The two-day-old Nitish Kumar cabinet will be expanded on Saturday.

Kumar, who won the floor test at the one-day special assembly session on Friday, is likely to induct 34 ministers in his team. The swearing-in is likely to take place in Raj Bhawan at 5pm.

BJP state president Nityanand Rai told a TV channel that the new cabinet would have 19 members from Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and nine from the BJP, among others.

Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, who recently underwent a surgery for infection in his nose at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna, was discharged early on Saturday.

Among those likely to be inducted are Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Lesy Singh, Shrawan Kumar, Jai Kumar Singh and Khursheed Alam from the JD(U); Nand Kishore Yadav, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Rajneesh Kumar, Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo, Ramprit Paswan, Braj Kishore Bind, Suresh Sharma and KK Rishi from BJP and Pashupati Kumar Paras from Lok Janshakti Party.

Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular) leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has ruled out joining the new ministry. Manjhi is the lone MLA of his party.

The council of ministers can have a maximum of 35 members, apart from the chief minister as per rules.

Kumar was sworn in on Thursday, a day after he dumped the Grand Alliance and joined hands with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had also taken oath as deputy chief minister along with Kumar.