Nitish Kumar headed to Rajya Sabha? Is JD-U chief headed to Delhi — Who could replace him as Bihar CM?
Bihar's CM Nitish Kumar may soon transition from state leadership to the Rajya Sabha, sparking discussions about his possible replacement. With the BJP set to nominate candidates, the political landscape in Bihar is poised for a change. Will Kumar's legacy continue, or is a new era on the horizon?
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to make another move in his long political career. The Janata Dal United Chief and ten-time chief minister of Bihar will file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha today, according to reports in multiple news agencies.
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.
The election process has already begun, with notifications issued on 26 February. The last date for filing nominations is today, 5 March, while scrutiny will be conducted on 6 March. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until 9 March.
When do we know?
So we may know officially what happens next in Bihar today only, whether Nitish Kumar files nomination for Rajya Sabha or not.
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.
State minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar was considering entering the Rajya Sabha, which would bring to an end his tenure as the state's longest-serving chief minister.
A BJP leader is expected to replace Kumar as chief minister.
BJP single-largest party
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 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.
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.
Longest-Serving CM
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
However, Union Minister Giriraj Singh refuted the speculations and said, "Such jokes are common on Holi. Nitish Kumar ji is our Chief Minister."
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has also dismissed speculation of a leadership change in Bihar.
"There's no discussion on changing the Chief Minister. Nitish Kumar will continue to lead Bihar, and our double-engine government is working well," said the Union Minister.
Who will be the next Bihar CM?
Samrat Choudhary, one of the deputy chief ministers, has emerged as the probable chief minister of Bihar.
Choudhary is one of the most senior BJP leaders from Bihar. He has been a Panchayati Raj Minister before holding the home affairs portfolio in Bihar, as well as in his second stint as deputy chief minister.
Another name doing the rounds is Nityanand Rai, currently serving as the Minister of State for Home Affairs in Delhi. Before his stint with the Centre, Rai served as the BJP president for Bihar and is a four-time MLA from Hajipur.
In 2015, Rai won a parliamentary ticket and served as an MP from Ujiarpur.
What about Nitish Kumar's son?
Reports have emerged that Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, will be inducted into the Bihar cabinet too after he joins the party today. Some reports suggest he might be the deputy chief minister.
(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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