Nitish inducts Lessi as minister after Kushwaha's resignation

Third-term legislator Lessi Singh was today inducted into the Bihar Cabinet following the resignation of Renu Kushwaha.

The strength of the Nitish Kumar ministry is 17, including the chief minister.

Singh was inducted into the ministry after Kushwaha's resignation yesterday as there was no woman minister left, Kumar said, adding, that a proper Cabinet expansion would be done after Lok Sabha elections.

Governor D Y Patil administered oath to Singh at the Raj Bhawan this evening in presence of Kumar, Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, Chairman of Legislative Council Awdesh Narayan Singh and other ministers and officials.

With a Samata Party background, Singh represents Damdaha constituency in Purnea district. She won there for the first time in 2000, then in 2005 as well as in the 2010 Assembly polls.

This was the first induction of a new member in the Cabinet after the JD(U)-BJP split last June.

Kushwaha, who was Industries and Disaster Management minister, sent her resignation to Kumar after her husband Vijay Singh joined BJP in Narendra Modi's Purnea rally.

Incidentally, another woman minister Parveen Amanullah had quit JD-U last month to join Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).