‘A desire in my heart’: Nitish Kumar confirms Rajya Sabha nomination. To pave way for new Bihar CM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is headed to Rajya Sabha. The ten-time Bihar CM announced in a post on X.
It is official. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is headed to the Rajya Sabha. The ten-time Bihar CM confirmed that he is filing a nomination for the Upper House in a post on X.
The Janata Dal United Chief will file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha today. With his nomination, the chief minister's seat will be vacated, and Bihar will have a new chief minister months after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a landslide victory in the state's assembly elections.
Elections to five Rajya Sabha seats are due in Bihar. While the JD(U) holds two of these Rajya Sabha seats, the BJP is expected to contest on two seats. BJP has nominated its national president Nitin Nabin from Bihar.
Kumar may file his nomination papers at the state assembly around 11 am, news agency PTI said. BJP president Nitin Nabin will also file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the time of filing of the nomination papers.
What did Nitish Kumar say?
“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,” Kumar said in the post adding that 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,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a landslide victory, securing 202 of the 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections, defeating the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan (MGB), which secured just 35 seats.
Nitish was the longest-serving CM of Bihar
For the first time, the BJP became the single-largest party in the Bihar assembly with 89 seats, followed by the JD (U) with 85 seats.
Nitish Kumar took the oath for a record tenth time. Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha took the oath as the deputy chief ministers for the second consecutive time.
“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. In keeping with this aspiration, I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time,” Kumar said.
Kumar, 75, has been Bihar's longest-serving Chief Minister, having taken oath a record 10 times. He has been in the CM's post since 2015, except for the brief period when Jitan Ram Manjhi - his close aide at the time -was the Chief Minister. Manjhi is now a minister at the Centre
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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