Patna: Panchayati raj minister Deepak Prakash on Thursday took oath as a member of the Bihar legislative council, ending weeks of legal and political uncertainty over his continuation in the state cabinet.The oath was administered in the chamber of legislative council chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh. Among those present were RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha, Prakash’s father, and other NDA functionaries.After the ceremony, Prakash said he would discharge his responsibilities with renewed commitment. “I will now work with double the energy and resilience to serve the people of Bihar. We remain fully committed to ensuring that Bihar and its villages make the maximum possible contribution towards making India a developed nation by 2047,” he said.Prakash’s induction into the legislative council follows recent observations by the Supreme Court over his continuation as a minister without being a member of either House of the legislature.Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution, a minister who is not a member of the legislature must get elected or nominated to either the legislative assembly or the legislative council within six months of assuming office.Prakash was first sworn in as a minister in Nov 2025 and was reappointed during the cabinet expansion in May 2026. A petition before the Supreme Court questioned the legality of his continuation beyond the constitutional time limit.Following the court proceedings, BJP MLC Devesh Kumar resigned from the legislative council, paving the way for Prakash’s nomination.Prakash thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, CM Samrat Choudhary, former CM Nitish Kumar, BJP national president J P Nadda and NDA allies, including Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha, for reposing faith in him and giving him the opportunity to serve Bihar.
