Political discussions in Bihar intensified on Wednesday following reports that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, leaving the CM post vacant.
Reports further claimed that Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, might be given the post of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister. However, the Janata Dal (United) has not commented on the matter so far.
The Rajya Sabha biennial elections will be held on March 16, with vote counting the same day at 5 pm and the process concluding by March 20. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced March 5 as the last date to file nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections. With less than a day left to file nomination papers, media reports suggest that JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, who has been in office since 2005, might move to the Rajya Sabha for an “honourable exit”.
Similar reports had earlier emerged during the Bihar Assembly Elections in 2025, after the BJP became the single largest party for the first time, winning 89 seats. Back then, some reports suggested that the CM could be from the saffron party and Kumar might be sent to the Rajya Sabha. However, the NDA eventually announced Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister.
What do ministers have to say?
Amid the speculation, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief, Chirag Paswan, rejected these reports and said there is no such discussion and no such situation is going to arise. He asserted that Bihar has a stable government under the experienced leadership of Nitish Kumar.
Paswan added that the government has the support of more than 200 MLAs, and there is no question of changing the Chief Minister. Similarly, Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh dismissed the rumour as a “Holi prank”, asserting “Nitish Kumar ji is the chief minister”.
Two JD(U) candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls
The elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states, including Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. Out of the five seats in Bihar, two are expected to go to the BJP, while one is likely to go to Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). JD(U) has two seats, with Union Minister Ramnath Thakur confirmed as the party’s candidate. The second seat is still not clear.
Speaking to PTI on the rumours, JD(U) MLC Sanjay Kumar stated that the decision on the second seat would be taken by Nitish. He said, “We have no information about who will be the Rajya Sabha candidates of the party. There is an impression that Union minister Ram Nath Thakur may retain his seat, but that is also not official. As regards the other seat, it is a decision to be taken by the chief minister, who is known to reveal his cards at the eleventh hour. We cannot say anything about the reports in the media.”