On May 7, 2026, when the new Chief Minister of Bihar, Samrat Chaudhary distributed the departments among his ministers, the Home Department came into focus. He kept the most powerful home department of the state with himself. The interesting thing is that before him Nitish Kumar also used to do the same thing and the same thing has been happening before him also. After all, what is this ‘Home Department’ that why does every Chief Minister not want to give its keys to anyone else? This is not a legal compulsion, but an essential condition of power. Come, let us understand this entire tradition in depth…

Question 1: Why did Samrat Chaudhary and before him Nitish Kumar keep the Home Department with themselves?

answer: The biggest reason for this is complete control over power. Home department is the backbone of any state government. Having it with you means direct command over the operation of law and order, police force, intelligence agencies and prisons.

After becoming the Chief Minister, Samrat Chaudhary has not only kept home but also important departments like General Administration, Cabinet Secretariat, Surveillance and Elections. A big reason behind this is that law and order is a big issue in Bihar. Through the Home Department, the Chief Minister can directly monitor the transfer-posting of officers and police action.

Before this, Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister for the first time in 2005 and kept the Home Department with himself in every government of his for about 20 years. He believed that to keep law and order and curb corruption in the state, this department should be directly with the Chief Minister. However, due to political compulsions in November 2025, he had to hand over this department for the first time to his Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary (BJP).

Question 2: Did this tradition exist in Bihar even before Nitish Kumar?

answer: Yes, this was not just Nitish Kumar’s personal choice, but this tradition has been going on since 1977:

• Karpoori Thakur (1977–1979): Karpoori Thakur, who became the Chief Minister of Bihar in the Janata Party government, also kept the Home portfolio with himself. This great leader of social justice did this to strengthen law and order in the post-Emergency period. However, before this, during his first term in 1972, he had made Ramanand Tiwari the Home Minister.
• Ramsundar Das (1979–1980): After Karpoori Thakur, Ramsundar Das of Janata Party became the Chief Minister. After this, Congress government was formed in 1980. This was the period when due to political instability, Chief Ministers started keeping the Home Department in their hands to strengthen their hold.
• Lalu Prasad Yadav (1990–1997): When Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav became the Chief Minister in 1990, he also followed the same tradition. During his tenure, there was the Mandal-Kamandal era of politics and law and order in the state was often under question. In such a situation, his hold on the Home Department was very important.
• Rabri Devi (1997–2005): After Lalu Prasad Yadav was accused of fodder scam, he made his wife Rabri Devi the Chief Minister. Then Rabri Devi also kept the Home Department with herself. However, indirectly its control was believed to be with Lalu Prasad Yadav only.

Question 3: But did anyone else ever become Home Minister in Bihar?

answer: Of course, this is a rare exception in the political history of Bihar. When Samrat Chaudhary was made the Home Minister in 2025, he became the second leader other than a Chief Minister to hold this post in about 58 years.

Earlier, a renowned socialist leader named Ramanand Tiwari had assumed this command. He served as the Home Minister of Bihar twice:

• For the first time in 1967 in the United Legislative Party government led by Mahamaya Prasad Sinha.
• Second time in 1972 in Karpoori Thakur’s government.

This trend broke after Ramanand Tiwari and then for the next 58 years, no Chief Minister was ready to hand over this department to anyone else. Ramanand Tiwari himself was a great leader, who had even rejected the offer of the post of Chief Minister during the period of political turmoil. This reflects his stature and influence.

Question 4: Is this tradition limited only to Bihar?

answer: Absolutely not. This is an unwritten but established rule of politics in almost every state of India. Check out some great examples:

• Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also kept the Home Department with himself in both his governments. In a huge state like Uttar Pradesh which faces law and order challenges, this department being under the direct control of the CM, has a direct hold on police action and crime control.
• Odisha: During his 24-year long tenure as Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik always kept portfolios like Home, General Administration and Public Works with him.
• Maharashtra: Even though there is often a tussle over the Home Department in the politics here, when Devendra Fadnavis became the Chief Minister in 2014, he also kept this department with himself.

This list is very long. Statistics show that in most of the states of the country, the Chief Minister is the Home Minister.

Question 5: How and why did this tradition start?

answer: There is no fixed date for this tradition, but there are 3 big reasons for it:

1. Real center of power: Home Department is the department which controls the entire administrative structure, police force and intelligence machinery. This makes the Chief Minister the most powerful.
2. Lessons after the Emergency: After bitter memories of the misuse of the constitutional machinery during the Emergency of 1975-77, the Chief Ministers of the States kept this department in their hands to protect their power from any encroachment. This is why it became a strong trend after 1977.
3. Guarantee of political stability: Especially in the era of coalition governments, by keeping the Home Department with himself, the real reins of the government are in the hands of the Chief Minister. As soon as Nitish Kumar gave this department to BJP, it was considered a sign of his weakening political influence.