Daijiworld Media Network - Patna
Patna, Mar 4: Even as Bihar celebrated Holi, hectic political activity gripped the State capital amid intense speculation that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may resign and move to the Rajya Sabha, with nominations for the Upper House polls open till March 5.
Political circles were abuzz on Wednesday with reports that the Janata Dal (United) chief could step down and pave the way for a Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), JD(U)’s coalition partner in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). At the same time, there was speculation that his son Nishant Kumar could be made Deputy Chief Minister.
Though the party officially remained tight-lipped, senior JD(U) leaders, including working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union Minister and Munger MP Rajeev Ranjan Singh, were engaged in a meeting at the Chief Minister’s official residence at 1, Anne Marg till late evening.
Earlier in the day, senior JD(U) leaders and Cabinet Ministers Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Ashok Choudhary were said to have met Kumar and discussed the political developments.
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, a candidate requires the support of 41 MLAs to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. In the last Assembly elections, the ruling NDA secured 202 seats, with JD(U) winning 85 and BJP 89. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) bagged 19 seats, while smaller allies such as the Rashtriya Lok Morcha led by Upendra Kushwaha won four and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) secured five seats.
Last November, Kumar took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the tenth time. Except for a brief nine-month period when Jitan Ram Manjhi held office, Kumar has been at the helm since November 2005.
On Tuesday, senior JD(U) leader and State Minister Shrawan Kumar announced that Nishant Kumar would enter “active politics”. In recent weeks, several party leaders have demanded a formal role for him, and posters supporting his political entry were put up at the party headquarters in Patna.
Of the 16 Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar, five are set to fall vacant on April 9. The terms of two JD(U) MPs — Harivansh Narayan Singh, who is also Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare — are ending. The tenure of NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha, along with two Opposition members from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, is also concluding.
In the 2025 Assembly polls, the RJD won 25 seats, the Congress six, the CPI (ML) two, the CPI (M) one, AIMIM five, the BSP one and the Indian Inclusive Party one.
For the fifth Rajya Sabha seat, the NDA requires the support of three additional MLAs, while the RJD needs six more legislators to secure victory. Sources indicated that Kushwaha’s name has been finalised by the NDA for one of the seats, intensifying the political manoeuvring in Patna.