Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a move widely seen as paving the way for the formation of a new government in the state.
Kumar’s decision to move to the Upper House comes after he recently expressed his “wish to become a Rajya Sabha member,” a development that has strengthened speculation that the Bharatiya Janata Party could soon install its own chief minister in the state, the only Hindi heartland state where the party has so far not held the top post despite being in power.
The political shift had appeared likely after the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections held less than four months ago, winning 89 seats and outperforming Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) for the second consecutive time since 2020.
Earlier in the day, some JD(U) supporters created a ruckus at the party office in Patna, vandalising property in protest against Kumar’s decision to move to the Rajya Sabha. According to reports, angry workers threw plates and damaged a buffet counter that had been arranged for a feast ahead of the expected arrival of Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar. Visuals circulating on social media showed broken dishes scattered across the premises.
Meanwhile, the swearing-in ceremony of the new government bore the imprint of the BJP, which secured a lion’s share in the council of ministers along with the key Home portfolio. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, several Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states.
Reacting to the developments, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal alleged that the BJP had “done a Maharashtra in Bihar,” suggesting a political power shift engineered by the party.
Interestingly, Kumar, like RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, rose to prominence during the Mandal-era political churn of the 1990s, which reshaped caste dynamics and ended the dominance of upper castes in Bihar politics.
Speculation is now rife that the BJP may select a chief minister from the weaker sections, keeping the state’s social equations in mind. Among the names being discussed for the top post is Samrat Choudhary, whom Amit Shah had once promised to make “a big man” during the election campaign.
