When Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash was made a minister in the new government of Bihar, his simple attire and casual behavior suddenly went viral on social media. For this reason people started calling him ‘Viral Minister’.

According to the information, in an EXCLUSIVE conversation with ABP, Deepak openly answered the questions about his political thinking, ministerial responsibilities and familyism.

Deepak Prakash, ‘Viral Minister’ of Bihar Government and son of Upendra Kushwaha EXCLUSIVE

Chitra Tripathi (@chitraaumWatch ‘Janhit’ with )#ChitraTripathiOnABP #BiharPolitics #Chiragpaswan #ABPNews pic.twitter.com/iDwVmIO9j8

— ABP News (@ABPNews) November 20, 2025

I have become a minister for the first time, but have old relations with politics – Deepak Prakash

Deepak Prakash said that he is not new to politics. Since childhood, I have been watching my father Upendra Kushwaha working among the public. He said that he has got the responsibility of ministerial post for the first time. It is a big thing for me that I will get a chance to work with leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. This is both an honor and a responsibility for me. Deepak told that he got the information about being made a minister through a meeting, which was called by Upendra Kushwaha.

Change is necessary in politics- Deepak

When he was asked a question about his attire, Deepak without hesitation said that change is necessary in politics. The youth are running away from old politics. If we also stay away from them, how will new energy come into politics? I want to meet like common people and live among them.

Don’t link my qualifications with familyism – Deepak

When the journalist raised the issue of nepotism, because Upendra Kushwaha’s wife is also an MLA and Kushwaha himself is a Rajya Sabha MP, Deepak said, “Don’t link my ability with nepotism. If I have been given the responsibility, I will live up to it. I have been selected on the basis of my ability.”

Also read- Claim of major ‘dishonesty’ in Bihar election results! RJD created a political stir by showing these figures

Now Kushwaha himself has broken his silence on the questions being raised after the appointment of Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash as a minister in the new government of Bihar. There is intense discussion regarding this issue on social media also.

In a special conversation with ABP News, Upendra Kushwaha clearly said that the decision to make son Deepak Prakash a minister is not just related to familyism, but there is also a big reason behind it related to the strength of the party.

Upendra Kushwaha has broken his silence regarding the questions being raised on his son Deepak Prakash becoming a minister in the Bihar government. He said that a major reason behind making Deepak a minister is the movement of MLAs from one party to another. Upendra Kushwaha said, “Such a situation should not arise that our people… pic.twitter.com/AqrvuDIn68

— ABP News (@ABPNews) November 20, 2025

‘The reversed trend caused great harm to RLM’

Upendra Kushwaha said that his party has been weakened earlier also due to the divisions among the MLAs and MPs. He reminded that three MPs from his party had won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but later two MPs switched to another party. This had a deep impact on the strength and credibility of the party. Similarly, two MLAs of his party had won in the 2015 assembly elections, but both of them later left the party and joined other parties. Kushwaha said that such incidents broke the morale of the workers and weakened the organization.

‘Stability is necessary to ensure that such a situation does not happen again’

Upendra Kushwaha said that due to repeated political upheavals, there was a need to provide stability to the party. He said that such a situation should not happen again that our people win and then go to another party. This breaks the party and weakens trust.

In this context, Kushwaha also clarified that giving the responsibility of power to a trusted member brings stability in the party and strengthens the organization. His indication was clear that if a trusted member of the family is part of the government, then the possibility of disunity is less.

‘Deepak Prakash got responsibility on the basis of merit’

Upendra Kushwaha also stressed that making Deepak Prakash a minister is not just a political strategy but also the result of his ability. He said that Deepak has been given this responsibility considering his ability and ability to work. This decision was not taken merely on the basis of family. He further said that stability and strength are necessary in politics and it is expected from Deepak that he will fulfill this responsibility well.

This statement makes it clear that amidst the questions of familyism raised in Bihar politics, Upendra Kushwaha is openly putting forward his strategy and compulsions. He claims that Deepak’s appointment is a deliberate step towards securing the stability and future of the party.

Also read- Claim of major ‘dishonesty’ in Bihar election results! RJD created a political stir by showing these figures

A new government was formed in Bihar on Thursday (20 November). NDA government will run in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. Apart from Nitish Kumar, 26 ministers also took oath. Now Lalu Yadav’s party RJD has taken these ministers to task and attacked nepotism.

Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Suman has been targeted by posting from RJD’s X handle. Taunts have also been made about Samrat Chaudhary, Deepak Prakash, Shreyasi Singh, Rama Nishad, Vijay Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Sunil Kumar and Lacey Singh. Apart from these, other ministers who have become ministers have also been mentioned in the post.

RJD raised such questions

“I am Santosh Suman Manjhi, son of former Chief Minister and MP from Gaya and current Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, son-in-law of current MLA Jyoti Manjhi and husband of current MLA Deepa Manjhi!”

“I am Samrat Choudhary, son of former Minister Shakuni Choudhary and Deputy Chief Minister of former MLA Late Smt. Parvati Devi!”

“I am Deepak Prakash, son of former Union Minister, current Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha and current MLA Smt. Snehlata.”

“I am Shreyasi Singh, daughter of former Union Minister Digvijay Singh and former MP Putul Kumari.”

“I am Rama Nishad, daughter-in-law of former Union Minister Captain Jai Narayan Nishad and wife of former MP Ajay Nishad.”

“I am Vijay Chaudhary, son of former MLA Jagdish Prasad Chaudhary.”

“I am Ashok Chaudhary, son of former minister Mahavir Chaudhary and father of current Samastipur MP Shambhavi Chaudhary.”

“I am Nitin Nabin, son of former MLA Naveen Kishore Sinha.”

“I am Sunil Kumar, son of former minister Chandrika Ram and brother of former MLA Anil Kumar!”

“I am Lacey Singh, wife of late Bhutan Singh, former district president of Samata Party.”

“I swear in the name of God that with the special affection and blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who are staunch opponents of nepotism, I will eliminate nepotism from the politics of Bihar and create a new Bihar.”

Let us tell you that Lalu Yadav has often been accused of nepotism. Now that NDA has formed the new government, there has been an attack from Rashtriya Janata Dal. It remains to be seen what reaction comes from NDA on this.

Nitish Kumar, who has been the Chief Minister for the longest time in Bihar, took the oath of office and secrecy for the tenth time on Thursday (20 November 2025). 10 new faces along with old experienced leaders have been included in the 26-member cabinet of the new government, in which special attention has been paid to ethnic and regional balance. Many senior ministers of JDU and BJP were given a second chance in the new government.

10 MLAs became ministers for the first time

Of the 26 members of the Council of Ministers, 10 have become ministers for the first time. Senior BJP leaders Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who were Deputy Chief Ministers in the previous government, have been retained in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. At the same time, JDU has also retained its old ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Shravan Kumar in the cabinet.

These leaders including Mangal Pandey became ministers again

BJP has again included its former ministers Mangal Pandey, Surendra Prasad Mehta and Nitin Navin in the cabinet. Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal has also returned to the cabinet. Another minister Narayan Prasad has also returned. Jaiswal and Narayan Prasad lost their posts due to Nitish’s sudden separation from NDA in the year 2022 and even when JDU returned to NDA last time, they did not get a place in the cabinet.

Message from Nitish cabinet to Yadav and EBC?

Among other NDA allies, HAM (Secular) has again made Santosh Kumar Suman, son of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, as its minister. The new faces include BJP MLA from Jamui and former shooting player Shreyasi Singh, Aurai MLA and Rama Nishad, daughter-in-law of former Union Minister Jai Narayan Nishad. These are being seen as steps to increase the party’s reach towards the EBC seafarers community.

Deepak Prakash, son of RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, has also got a place in the cabinet, although he is not an MLA. It is expected that Deepak can be sent to the Legislative Council within six months. Senior BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav has also returned to the cabinet. He defeated RJD’s Ritlal Yadav from Danapur assembly seat.

Sanjay Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar from LJP (Ram Vilas) have been given ministerial posts. There are three women ministers in the cabinet, including JDU’s Lacey Singh and first-time ministers Shreyasi Singh and Rama Nishad. Jama Khan is the only Muslim minister. Political analysts say that the composition of the cabinet clearly reflects Nitish Kumar’s efforts to maintain social balance.

NDA’s caste equation

Of the total 27 members, eight are from upper caste, five from Dalit, one from Muslim and 13 from OBC/EBC categories. On party basis, BJP has got 14, JDU has got 8, LJP (Ram Vilas) has got 2, while HAM and RLM have got one ministerial post each. Former ministers Nitish Mishra, Jeevesh Mishra and Sanjay Saraogi have not got a place in the new cabinet. The maximum limit of the state cabinet is 36 members including the Chief Minister.

With the swearing in of the new NDA government in Bihar, it has become clear which party has got the maximum number of ministerial posts in comparison to its seats. BJP and JD(U) are the largest parties in the NDA alliance which returned to power with 202 seats, but there seems to be an interesting balance between the two in the distribution of ministerial posts. Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time, while BJP’s Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Sinha became Deputy Chief Ministers.

How many seats does which party have?
NDA has a total of 202 seats in the new assembly, in which BJP is the largest party with 89 seats. On the other hand, JDU has 85 seats. Apart from these, LJP (Ram Vilas) has 19 seats, HAM has 5 and RLM has 4 seats.

NDA seat distribution in Bihar elections 2025
In the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, NDA had contested all 243 seats. In this alliance, BJP and JDU were given equal number of 101-101 seats. Apart from these, LJP (Ram Vilas) got 29 seats, HAM (HAM) got 6 seats and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) also got 6 seats.

How many ministerial posts have come to JDU’s account?
Talking about ministerial posts, JDU has got a total of nine posts including the Chief Minister. Apart from Nitish Kumar, JDU’s Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Vijendra Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Leshi Singh, Ashok Chaudhary, Madan Sahni, Sunil Kumar and Mohammad Jama Khan have been made ministers. JDU has been given a balanced and adequate representation as per its proportion of seats.

Most ministers from BJP quota?
BJP has got two Deputy Chief Ministers and apart from this, twelve more leaders have been made ministers. These include Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal, Nitin Naveen, Ramkripal Yadav, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Arun Shankar Prasad, Surendra Mehta, Narayan Prasad, Rama Nishad, Lakhendra Roshan, Shreyasi Singh and Pramod Kumar. In this way, BJP got a total of 14 ministerial posts, which is more than JDU in number, but considering BJP’s seat count (89), its minister per seat ratio is slightly less than JDU.

Even small parties are in trouble
LJP (Ram Vilas) has secured two ministerial posts despite only 19 seats, which is considered a strong bargain compared to its size. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s party HAM has five seats and has got one ministerial post, which is considered a good representation for a small party. Similarly, RLM has four seats and has also got a ministerial post.

Chief Ministers of many states including PM Modi were present at the swearing in.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda were present in the swearing-in. Apart from this, Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Rekha Gupta of Delhi, Naib Singh Saini of Haryana, Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam and Nephew Rio of Nagaland were also present.

Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. BJP had the highest number of ministers in the new government of Bihar. Whereas JDU got 9 posts including Chief Minister. BJP has paid special attention to Mandal and Kamandal in the distribution of ministerial posts. Nitish Kumar was made the CM while Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Chaudhary were made the Deputy Chief Ministers.

This MLA became minister in Nitish government

The ministers who took oath included Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Vijendra Kumar Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal, Ashok Chaudhary, Leshi Singh, Madan Sahni, Nitin Nabin, Ramkripal Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Sunil Kumar, Mohammad Jama Khan, Sanjay Singh Tiger, Arun Shankar Prasad, Surendra Mehta, Narayan Prasad, Rama Nishad, Lakhendra Kumar Roshan, Shreyasi Singh, Pramod Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Singh and Deepak Prakash was there. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan called the newly elected ministers one by one in groups of five to six members and administered the oath of office and secrecy.

BJP ministers and caste

• Vijay Sinha- ​​Bhumihar
• Samrat Chaudhary- Kushwaha
• Dilip Jaiswal-Vaishya
• Mangal Pandey- Brahmin
• Shreyasi Singh-Rajput
• Sanjay Tiger – Rajput
• Nitin Naveen- Kayastha
• Surendra Mehta – Dhanuk (Extremely Backward)
• Lakhendra Paswan- Paswan (SC)
• Arun Shankar Prasad- Sudi (OBC)
• Ram Kripal Yadav- Yadav
• Rama Nisha – Mallah (Extremely Backward)
• Narayan Shah- Tradesman
• Pramod Kumar Chandravanshi- Extremely Backward

In this election, BJP emerged as the largest party with 89 seats. After this, JDU got 85 seats, while LJP (Ram Vilas) got 19, Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM) got 5 and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) got four seats. Three ministers were made from LJP (R), one from HAM and one from RLM.

PM Modi congratulated all the ministers

PM Modi posted on Instagram and said, “Hearty congratulations to all the colleagues who took oath as ministers in the Bihar government. This is a great team of dedicated leaders, who will take Bihar to new heights. My best wishes to all.” At the end of the ceremony, the Prime Minister in his familiar style raised the enthusiasm of the gathering by waving the towel in the air.

Also read: Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi kept watching, Upendra Kushwaha won, now laddu in both hands

Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash has also got a place in Nitish Kumar’s new cabinet in Bihar. Deepak Prakash himself told that he was not ready for this. He had arrived in jeans, shirt and slippers. Shortly before the start of the ceremony, he was told that he had to take the oath of office as a minister. That’s why he was not even prepared.

Deepak Prakash was made a minister without becoming an MLA and without contesting elections. Nitish Kumar’s other 25 ministers arrived in traditional attire, but Deepak Prakash took oath wearing jeans and shirt only. Meanwhile, a big discussion also started that how will Deepak Prakash be made MLA?

JDU or BJP, who will sacrifice?

It is certain that Upendra Kushwaha’s son Deepak Prakash has to be sent to the Legislative Council, but the question arises how? According to the rules, it is necessary for him to become an MLA within 6 months of becoming a minister. In such a situation, from which party he will be made MLC is a matter of discussion. JDU or BJP…who will sacrifice his seat for Deepak Prakash?

The term of these MLAs is ending

The term of 6 MLAs of the Legislative Council is ending next year. The names of four of these are- Ashok Chaudhary-(JDU), Sanjay Singh-(JDU), Nivedita Singh (BJP), Rajendra Gupta (BJP). Political experts believe that it is not easy for Deepak Prakash to ask for JDU quota seat from Nitish Kumar, hence it is possible that BJP may give a seat from its quota to the RLM leader.

What did Deepak Prakash say after becoming minister?

Deepak Prakash spoke to the media after taking oath and said, “Thanks to Upendra Kushwaha and the party workers for the opportunity given to him. I am very overwhelmed with the opportunity to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. I have got the opportunity to serve the public, I am now realizing the responsibility that has fallen on my shoulders. I am determined to fulfill that responsibility.”

After the formation of the new NDA government in Bihar and the swearing in of the Chief Minister, the reactions of the opposition are continuously coming to the fore. In this series, National President of Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav has shared an interesting post on his ‘ex’, which has created a new stir in the political circles.

Akhilesh Yadav shared those pictures when India Alliance was being formed and Nitish Kumar was playing an important role in uniting that alliance. Along with the pictures, Akhilesh wrote that at that time he had tried to elevate Nitish Kumar to the post of Prime Minister. He wrote- “We wanted to make him the PM, but Nitish Kumar remained the CM.” With this comment, Akhilesh congratulated Nitish Kumar on taking oath as Chief Minister. He wrote in the message that congratulations to Nitish Kumar on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar and best wishes for a public welfare, positive and independent governance system based on its core socialist ideology for the next five years.

Congratulations to Shri Nitish Kumar ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar and best wishes to him for running an independent governance system based on his core socialist ideology and doing positive work for the public welfare for the next five years! pic.twitter.com/dhNI7uakEe

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) November 20, 2025

best wishes wrapped in political satire

Seeing this post of Akhilesh Yadav, experts believe that this is not just a congratulatory message but also a political sarcasm. During the formation of INDIA alliance, Nitish Kumar was being considered as a possible face for the post of Prime Minister among the opposition leaders. Many leaders including Akhilesh had also praised Nitish’s active role.

But after a few months, Nitish Kumar broke ties with the alliance and returned to NDA. Since then, he has been accused of U-turn politics by the opposition.

pic.twitter.com/39qFW2ymL9

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) November 20, 2025

What is the political message behind the post?

Akhilesh making old photographs public again is an indication that he is trying to corner Nitish Kumar over his constantly changing political stance. The pictures remind that Nitish was once the center of unity of the opposition, but now the same Nitish has become the Chief Minister by joining the NDA. Akhilesh’s statement that he wanted to make him PM is being seen as a political satire.

Nitish’s oath and opposition’s reaction

Nitish Kumar has created a new record by taking oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time. However, immediately after the oath taking ceremony, many opposition leaders put his credibility under question. This post of Akhilesh is also being considered a part of the same political reaction.

Also read- Mother was an MP, father was a minister at the Centre… Now daughter gets a place in Nitish cabinet, who is Shreyasi Singh?

After NDA’s big victory in Bihar Assembly elections, Nitish Kumar has once again taken oath as the Chief Minister. According to the details recorded on the official website of the state government, his total wealth is around Rs 1.64 crore. He has some amount in cash, some deposited in bank accounts and most of the immovable property. Rama Nishad, who is included in his cabinet, is many times richer than CM Nitish. Rama Nishad is MLA from Aurai of Muzaffarpur. According to the details recorded in his election affidavit, his total assets are around Rs 31.86 crore. Rama Nishad’s movable assets are worth Rs 6 crore 5 lakh, while his immovable property is worth Rs 25 crore 8 lakh. He has liabilities of about Rs 75 lakh registered against him.

Rama Nishad is 58 years old. Being active in the social and political field for a long time, he has created a strong identity over the years. Her husband Ajay Nishad is a senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been elected MP from Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019. Both husband and wife are continuously active in the political and social fields, due to which their family is a well-known name in the area.

How many children does Rama Nishad have?

There are three children in his family, a son and two daughters. Along with political activities, she also maintains her family life in a balanced manner. He had completed Intermediate examination from Bihar School Examination Board in the year 1988. After this he started playing an active role in social and local administration.

Rama Nishad is associated with which political party?

Rama Nishad is the leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. His role in the party organization has been continuously strengthened and he is considered an important face of North Bihar in the BJP’s strategy. His constituency is Aurai (Muzaffarpur). This area is considered politically very sensitive and influential, where Rama Nishad has created his own identity.

Criminal cases against Rama Nishad

According to the 2025 election affidavit, two criminal cases are registered against him. However, this did not have any significant impact on her political career and she continues to be active in the field. According to ITR, the annual income of Rama Nishad has been different every year. In the year 2024–25, his income was recorded at Rs 16.39 lakh. Earlier the income was reported to be Rs 13.72 lakh in 2023–24, Rs 10.75 lakh in 2022–23, Rs 47.33 lakh in 2021–22 and Rs 43.95 lakh in 2020–21.

Under the new leadership of Bihar, who has the most assets, who has the least?
The richest among this trio of the new cabinet is Vijay Kumar Sinha, whose wealth is estimated at Rs 11.62 crore. After him comes Samrat Chaudhary, whose total wealth is around Rs 11.34 crore.

Also read: Nitish Cabinet Full List: These MLAs from BJP, JDU, LJP (R), HAM and RLM took oath as ministers in Nitish government, see the full list here