Shyam Rajak - chief minister unhappy over foodgrain procurement

P.K. Shahi - caste logic reasoning in the cabinet

Ranju Geeta - over-exposure of Yadav factor

Bima Bharti - non-performance in earlier responsibility

The list is not exhaustive though. Several ministers, including high-profile ones, of the earlier Nitish Kumar cabinet have been dropped to make way for new faces.

Sources said the reasons have found logic in the realms of alliance politics.

High-profile minister Shyam Rajak, who held the food and consumer affairs portfolio, put up a brave face on Friday morning. He had been dropped from the new ministry. "I will go to the swearing-in. I accept what my leader Nitish ji has decided," he said, insisting that he would not like his name added to the list when the ministry is expanded.

Hailing from the Mahadalit section of the society and close to both Lalu Prasad and Nitish, political circles listed him as one of the certain entries. However, JDU sources indicate that Nitish was unhappy with the way he handled the foodgrain purchase crisis earlier this year and his increasing closeness to the RJD chief.

Rajak was not the only one to be frustrated. One of the most efficient and honest faces of the previous Nitish government, Narendra Narayan Yadav, has been dropped. Political insiders feel that Nitish did not want "over-exposure" of the Yadav factor and Lalu insisted in inclusion of Chandrashekhar, the RJD MLA from Madhepura.

Given the pressure in the ministry formation, the Grand Alliance could not afford two ministers from the same district. Only Vaishali is an exception because Lalu's sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap represent seats in the district.

Three women faces of the previous ministry - Ranju Geeta. Lesie Singh and Bima Bharati - have also been dropped. Ranju did not find a place in the cabinet because of the Yadav factor and Lesie due to the number of upper caste ministers being reduced.

Bima Bharti, who belongs to the EBC group, was a non-performer who did not utter a word in the Legislative House even when questions were asked about her department. The Grand Alliance had better options than her to represent the EBC section.

Another high-profile minister to be dropped was P.K. Shahi who headed the human resource ministry in the previous Nitish cabinet. A highly successful lawyer, Shahi belongs to the Bhumihar caste. With Vijay Kumar Choudhary of the same caste being tipped as the next Speaker and Lallan Singh included in the cabinet, there was very little chance of another person of the same caste in the council of ministers.

Javed Iqbal Ansari, the tourism minister in the previous ministry, has also been dropped. Ansari had jumped from the RJD to the JDU when both Lalu and Nitish were hostile to each other. Though both have mended fences since then, Lalu is reported to be unforgiving on those who have betrayed him. In the Congress, several senior leaders, including Sadanand Singh and V.S. Dubey, missed the cabinet bus.