Nitish Kumar heads for Rajya Sabha, paves way for BJP CM in Bihar

NEW DELHI/PATNA: Less than four months after Nitish Kumar, along with PM Modi, led NDA to a landslide win in the Bihar assembly elections in Nov and took oath as chief minister for a record 10th time, 'sushashan babu', who turned 75 recently, is set to move to the Rajya Sabha - paving the way for BJP to have its own CM in the state for the first time, and extending its jurisdictional imprint across almost all of north and central India.

His son Nishant is set to enter politics by joining the government; while speculation abounds that he might be named deputy CM, there is as yet little clarity on his position or portfolio.




People in the know said Nitish will file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha in Patna Thursday in the presence of key NDA members, including Union home minister Amit Shah. Four other NDA nominees, including BJP president Nitin Nabin and Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party leader Upendr Kushwaha will also be filing their nominations.

BJP has played second fiddle to Nitish since joining hands with him for the first time in 1996. It chose to allow him to claim the top post despite having more MLAs than JD(U) in 2020 and 2025 in view of his seniority.

Amid concerns over his health, it was always a question of when and not if Nitish would step down, and while the transition has come earlier than generally expected, the timing was considered within NDA as appropriate as it will give the new team time to settle in. Nishant's entry is aimed at enthusing JD(U)'s rank-and-file amid these uncertain times, and at retaining its base among critical sections of backwards and Dalits.

Those clued into the recent developments said the JD(U) brass has acquiesced to its junior status in govt as acknowledgement about a likely change of guard had been growing in the party, indication of which was apparent when for the first time Nitish ceded the home portfolio to one of his two BJP deputies, Samrat Choudhary.

However, they added that Nitish will not be replaced immediately as his RS tenure will kick in when he takes oath after April 9, the date of retirement of the outgoing members.

Samrat, who hails from Kushwaha caste, the second largest OBC community after Yadavs, is seen as an obvious front-runner following his rapid ascent in BJP. He was its state unit president before being picked by the party brass as one of its two Dy CMs along with Vijay Kumar Sinha. He is considered a notch above his peer, which was evident in BJP's decision to give him charge of home. His social profile coupled with political acumen are also helpful.

Another contender is Nityanand Rai, one of Shah's deputies in the Union home ministry, a seasoned organisational man unlike Chaudhary, who cycled through various parties before joining BJP.

BJP to head governments in entire Hindi belt except Jharkhand, Himachal PradeshA Yadav, Rai's elevation would give BJP an opportunity to make a fresh outreach to the influential caste which has been loyal to Lalu Yadav’s RJD. With Bihar set to join the states with its CM, BJP will now be heading govts in the entire Hindi-speaking belt except Himachal Pradesh.

Nitish has been at the helm since 2005 except for a brief period after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when he passed the baton to Jitan Ram Manjhi after his party's poor show.

In the meantime, he switched alliances and embraced RJD twice only to go back to BJP but ensuring that he remained the swing factor in the state's fractured politics despite his party's decline in the recent years. As talk of Nitish going to RS started doing the rounds, is party said in a post, “Nitish Kumar Ji is the most accepted leader of Bihar. His popularity is clearly evident today in every sector. It is this affection and immense support from the people that is his true identity.”

Sources said a section of party is strongly opposed to Nitish shifting to national politics. “If Nitish goes to Delhi, this will convey a message that he was removed as Bihar CM. And, if BJP appoints its own CM, message will only be confirmed,” a JD(U) member said.
Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search


Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !