PATNA, May 9 -- The Bihar cabinet expansion has seen a rare BJP-JD(U) swap of ministries. For the first time in two decades, the two major parties of the ruling NDA bloc have exchanged health and education portfolios. Now, the JD(U) has health and the BJP has the education department, which has been split into two - education and higher education. Two young first-timers - Nishant Kumar and Mithilesh Tiwari - will manage the health and education ministries, while Sanjay Singh Tiger, also among the young ministers, will take care of the higher education department. While the health department remained with the BJP since November 2005 and went to the most experienced party leaders, the education department always stayed with the JD(U). It was bifurcated with the creation of a new department of higher education in December 2025 only due to mounting operational difficulties, but both education departments remained under one minister. According to NDA insiders, the move has been smooth despite some "pulls" from both the sides. "It aims to spruce up the public health system in the state and usher in needed reforms in the education sector in sync with the New Education Policy (NEP)," said an NDA insider. A senior JD(U) leader said the party wanted a department that could ensure greater visibility for former CM Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant, and the swap was planned accordingly. Nishant, as he claimed during his first interviews on Friday, plans to establish himself through "good governance," which has been a hallmark of his father. However, heading a big department like health will also be challenging for Nishant. Despite infrastructural growth in terms of hospital buildings and 27 medical colleges in the state (with plans to increase this to over 40), the rate of filling vacancies for doctors and specialists has proven difficult, impacting rural healthcare access. A large number of vacancies in the health sector are pending. Another big challenge for him will be enforcing the ban on private practice by government doctors, as announced by his father. New faces, new hope Political calculations aside, the new ministries and their new faces are also seen as a harbinger of hope, as a plethora of issues plague both the health and education sectors and need sorting for the vision of "developed Bihar" to be fulfilled. The BJP will now have two ministers to fix and run education smoothly. Of the two, Sanjay Singh Tiger made his cabinet debut in November 2025 and will now hold charge of the higher education department, while first-timer Mithilesh Tiwari heads the education department. Tiwari, who took charge on Friday, was tested by a student protest over the timing of the TRE-4 examination in Patna. The protest was quelled by a lathicharge, and several protesters were injured. Similarly, a school in Saharsa saw over 300 students get infected after consuming a mid-day meal that allegedly contained a dead snake. The incident from Saharsa hogged a lot of limelight. Tiwari said he will review the issues in his department and prioritise them for action. According to observers, education has actually been a lingering issue for the NDA government. "One department that has remained the Achilles' heel for the NDA government is education, particularly higher education. This eventually led to the creation of a new department of higher education with a new face to provide a fresh outlook, as controversies abound there due to high stakes involved, growing politicisation of campuses, slipping trust, and a question mark over key appointments. Tiger is the first higher education minister in Bihar and he will have his job cut out from day one to make an impact," said Delhi University professor Rajesh Jha....