Nitish may enter Rajya Sabha, make way for new BJP Chief Minister in Bihar

On a day Bihar celebrated Holi, Patna on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) witnessed hectic political activity over reports that Janata Dal(U) leader Nitish Kumar would resign as Chief Minister and go to the Rajya Sabha.

Top BJP sources told The Hindu that Bihar would soon have a new Chief Minister.

“At a meeting of their party with JD(U) leaders held after the results of Assembly election in Bihar, a suggestion was made that a succession plan for the government be made within a year of the results. It was conveyed that a succession plan for the government needed to be in place factoring in the future of the JD(U),” a source said.

If Mr. Kumar relinquishes his post, the next Chief Minister would be from the BJP. Party sources said “he/she will be from the Backward Class”.

JD(U) leader Zama Khan said that Mr. Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar would join the party on Thursday (November 4, 2026). “Yes, Nishant Kumar is going to join the party on Thursday at 11 a.m. and it will strengthen both our party and its organisation,” the State’s Minister of Minority Welfare told presspersons.

Sources said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Patna on Thursday (March 5, 2026) to be present on the occasion of a possible “regime change” in the State on a day when NDA’s Rajya Sabha candidates, including BJP president Nitin Nabin, will file their nominations.

Earlier, coming out of a meeting at the Chief Minister’s official residence, JD(U) MLC and long-time close aide to Mr. Kumar, Sanjay Gandhi, said, “We’ll support whatever decision Nitish Kumar will take. We’ll support him even if he goes to the Rajya Sabha.”

Party sources said Mr. Kumar could file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha on Thursday morning.

“If Mr. Kumar relinquishes his post, it will be a regime change in the State after 20 years. He had become Chief Minister for only seven days in March 2000 but since November 2005 he has been the Chief Minister for ten terms, barring nine months from February 2015 to November 2015 when Jitan Ram Manjhi was in the saddle,” said political commentator Nawal Kishore Choudhary.

BJP sources said that the chief ministerial candidate from their party would either be from the Backward Class (27% of the population) or Extremely Backward Class (36%).

“The party cannot afford to have its CM from upper caste category which is 15.5% in number according to the latest caste survey in Bihar,” said Mr. Choudhary.

Top JD(U) leaders, including party’s working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Vijay Choudhary and Union Minister and party’s Munger MP Rajeev Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), held meetings at their official residences and at the Chief Minister’s residence.

In the last Assembly elections, the ruling NDA won 202 seats with the JD(U) getting 85 and the BJP bagging 89 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats and smaller parties such as Rashtriya Lok Morcha, led by Upendra Kushwaha, bagged four and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) won five seats. In the 243-member State Assembly, a candidate needs the support of 41 MLAs to secure a Rajya Sabha seat.

Of the total 16 Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar, five seats are falling vacant on April 9. The terms of two JD(U) MPs Harivansh Narayan Singh, also Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, are ending. NDA ally and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Mr. Kushwaha’s tenure is ending along with those of two members from the Opposition bloc – Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh.

The NDA needs the support of three more MLAs and the RJD that of six legislators to bag the fifth seat for which Mr. Kushwaha’s name is said to have been finalised by the NDA. Sources from the RJD camp said the party will field Amarendra Dhari Singh as the fifth candidate.

(With inputs from Nistula Hebbar)