New Delhi: Ending suspense over his possible shift to the Rajya Sabha, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday announced that he “seek(s) to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time”.
With Nitish’s move, decks are clear for the installation of a new Bihar CM who is likely to be from ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The exact timeline of Nitish’s exit as CM and the installation of his successor is not clear yet. It’s likely to be in the next few weeks, according to BJP leaders.
Political circles in Patna were abuzz Wednesday about the possibility of Nitish entering the Upper House of Parliament to make way for his successor.
“For more than two decades, you have consistently placed your trust and support in me, and it is on the strength of that trust that we have served Bihar and all of you with complete dedication. It was the power of your trust and support that has enabled Bihar today to present a new dimension of development and dignity. For this, I have expressed my gratitude to you many times in the past as well,” the chief minister posted on X Thursday.
“From the very beginning of my parliamentary journey, there has been a desire in my heart to become a member of both Houses of the Bihar Legislature as well as both Houses of Parliament,” he added. “In keeping with this aspiration, I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time.”
पिछले दो दशक से भी अधिक समय से आपने अपना विश्वास एवं समर्थन मेरे साथ लगातार बनाए रखा है, तथा उसी के बल पर हमने बिहार की और आप सब लोगों की पूरी निष्ठा से सेवा की है। आपके विश्वास और समर्थन की ही ताकत थी कि बिहार आज विकास और सम्मान का नया आयाम प्रस्तुत कर रहा है। इसके लिए पूर्व में…
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) March 5, 2026
“With this, the Nitish, Lalu (Prasad) and (Ram Vilas) Paswan era comes to an end,” a senior leader from Nitish’s party, JD(U), told ThePrint.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is currently in Patna for the filing of nomination of BJP national president Nitin Nabin. Thursday is the last date for nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for 16 March.
With a number of JD(U) workers and supporters gathered outside his residence since early Thursday, protesting his speculated vacation of the CM’s chair, Nitish sought to allay their fears.
“I want to assure you with complete honesty that my relationship with you will continue in the future as well, and my resolve to work together with you to build a developed Bihar will remain steadfast. The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance,” he added in his post.
Nitish has taken oath as Bihar chief minister a record 10 times. He has been in the seat since 2005, except for a short period when Jitan Ram Manjhi was made CM after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP has been keen on a change of guard in Bihar as early as possible. Last year, when the NDA announced its seat-sharing formula for the Bihar elections, the JD(U) and the BJP contested an equal number of seats– sending out the message that neither of them would act as the “big brother”.
According to sources in the BJP, with Nitish moving to the Rajya Sabha, the party will now be able to install its own chief minister in the state. Bihar is the only state in the Hindi heartland where the BJP has never had its own CM.
Key reasons cited for the BJP pushing for a change of guard in the state include concerns about the CM’s health and governance, the need to ensure a graceful exit for him, and the desire to have a chief minister from the party for the first time in the state.
Even before the assembly elections, the JD(U) leadership virtually controlled access to the 75-year-old CM, who did not give any media interviews or had any interaction with people beyond a small circle of JD(U) leaders and bureaucrats.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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