End of Nitish era stirs emotion, uncertainty in Bihar
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s resignation from the State Assembly on Monday, following his elevation to the Rajya Sabha, has triggered speculations within the ruling alliance, NDA over the next CM, who is expected to be from the BJP.
Names of Union Minister Nityanand Rai, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Bihar’s Environment and Climate Minister Pramod Kumar (Chandrvanshi), and Rajya Sabha MP Dharmshila Gupta are doing the rounds as possible replacements for the 75-year-old leader, who led the State for over two decades.
Sources in the NDA said that Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as a Rajya Sabha MP next week, but he may continue to be as CM, as his replacement will avoid taking the oath as CM before April 14 since the inauspicious month of Kharmaas has started.
Monday was an emotional day for politics in Bihar, particularly for the NDA as everyone in the alliance had a comfort level with the JD (U) patriarch, even though his political moves have been unpredictable
“People in Bihar are not happy with Nitish ji’s resignation. He was such a progressive chief minister who took everyone along. The pain of his resignation will always remain,” Legislative council chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh said. Sources in the JD(U) have asserted that they will insist on a fair share in the new Cabinet with Nitish’s son Nishant as Deputy CM, and a lightweight CM. A bigger, well-known CM would make it difficult for JD(U) to negotiate the alliance at a later stage.
Pramod Kumar (Chandravanshi), Environment and Forests and Cooperatives Minister in Bihar, joined the BJP in 2023. He previously contested the 2020 Assembly elections as an Independent from Obra and is an MLC. Known for his clean record, Chandravanshi, a Kahar by caste, holds a degree from Magadh University and comes from a humble background.
Another lesser-known politician, Dharamshilla Gupta, entered the Rajya Sabha in February 2024 in place of the late Deputy CM Sushil Modi. Gupta, who hails from Darbhanga, is considered to be in the race because she suits the party’s agenda of having one more woman as CM to also give a political message in the neighbouring poll-bound West Bengal, governed by Mamata Banerjee.
“Madam Gupta may be one choice if we recall the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the massive win of NDA in last year’s assembly polls. PM had mentioned the Ganga will flow now from Bihar to Bengal, where elections are scheduled in April 2026,” as a senior BJP functionary said.
Names of other probables doing the rounds are Samrat Choudhary, the Deputy Chief Minister who holds the crucial Home portfolio. Choudhary is a Koeri, a numerically significant OBC group which has so far not been aligned with any particular party, unlike the Yadavs, who are die-hard supporters of Lalu Prasad’s RJD, or the Kurmis who revere Nitish Kumar. But a drawback in his anointment could be his nearly two decades of association with RJD and JD(U), before joining the BJP.
Another prominent name doing the rounds is that of Nityanand Rai, a former state BJP president, who is the deputy of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Nitish Kumar was “forced” to resign. “The BJP has not just swindled him but the entire electorate of Bihar,” he said.
