Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, February 9
Former Director General of Bihar Police and Sushant Singh Rajput’s cousin were among the 17 new ministers inducted in the Nitish Kumar cabinet today.
The Chief Minister expanded his three months old cabinet as the 17 new ministers were sworn in at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday morning.
The 1987-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former director general of police Sunil Kumar had been bestowed the responsibility of prohibiting liquor by allotting him Excise and Prohibition portfolio.
Sunil Kumar had joined the JDU in August 2020. A product of St Stephen’s College, his father Chandrika Ram was a veteran legislator and elder brother Anil Kumar was Congress MLA.
Among the new entrants in Nitish cabinet is Neeraj Kumar Singh Babloo, who had been allotted forest and environment department. He is cousin of Mumbai film star Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his flat in June last year. Babloo, who represents Chhatapur in Supaul district of Kosi region, was in Rajputana turban. His wife is also a legislator.
From the BJP, only two former ministers have been retained; rest are freshers including 33 years old Ajay Raj.
The lone elected MLA of BSP, Jama Khan, who had joined JDU was the Muslim face of the ruling party. However, former union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, who was elected to Vidhan Parishad last week, was inducted in the cabinet from BJP quota. He took oath in Urdu.
Nitin Navin was the only MLA from Patna district to become minister. He would be the state’s new public works department minister.
Sumit Kumar Singh, who was elected as an independent MLA from Chakai, would be the third generation minister. His father, Narendra Singh was food and agriculture minister in Nitish Kumar ministry and grandfather Sri Krishna Singh was transport minister in Karpoori Thakur cabinet.
