Patna: Caste balance has once again emerged as a decisive factor in the formation of the new Bihar government, sworn in on Thursday in the historic Gandhi Maidan Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time, and a total of 26 ministers were inducted into the new cabinet from various NDA constituents -- 14 from the BJP, eight from the JD(U), two from the LJP(RV), and one each from the RLM and HAM.

In the previous cabinet, senior BJP leaders Mangal Pandey and Nitish Mishra represented the Brahmin community. However, this time the BJP has reduced the Brahmin quota, retaining only Mangal Pandey. No Brahmin MLA from the JD(U) has been given a ministerial berth, marking a notable shift in the caste arithmetic. The BJP has given significant importance to the Rajput community,

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