Who is Mohd Zama Khan? Lone Muslim Minister in Nitish Kumar’s new Bihar cabinet
Zama Khan recently won the Chainpur Assembly constituency in Bihar by 8,362 votes, defeating Brij Kishor Bind of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was sworn in for a record 10th term at a grand ceremony in Patna on Thursday. Besides Kumar, 26 ministers were also sworn in on the occasion: 14 from the BJP, 8 from the JDU, LJP(RV) 2, HAM 1 and RLM 1. All those who took office from the JD(U) quota were ministers in the previous government. These include Mohammad Zama Khan, the only Muslim MLA in the NDA, who won 202 seats in the 243-member assembly.
Who is Muhammad Zama Khan?
Mohammad Zama Khan is a well-known politician from Kaimur district of Bihar. He recently won the Chainpur Assembly constituency in the state by a margin of 8,362 votes, defeating Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Brij Kishor Bind. Zama first won the Chainpur seat in 2020 on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket by a margin of around 35,000 votes. He later switched to Janata Dal (United) and became Minority Affairs minister in the 7th Nitish Kumar ministry.
NDA alliance in Bihar
The NDA also comprises smaller allies LJPRV, HAM and RLM, led by Union ministers Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha. The BJP has 14 ministers in the cabinet, while the JD(U) has eight ministers. Five ministers are Dalits; one each from the BJP, LJPRV and HAM, and two from the JD(U). Eight ministers, including four Rajputs, belong to upper castes. All three Yadavs were placed. The maximum number of ministers allowed in the state cabinet, including the CM, is 36, accounting for 15 per cent of the 243 seats.
This is very important. @NitishKumar This is a very important thing. This is a very important thing. Yes.#Bihar #NitishKumar#JDU #JanataDalUnited pic.twitter.com/rBLeaJ08fJ
— Janata Dal (United) (@Jduonline) 20 November 2025
