New Delhi: Veteran leader Nitish Kumar on Friday formally transitioned to national politics, taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member and effectively drawing the curtain on his long innings in Bihar’s political landscape.
The 75-year-old Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) leader has been elected to the Upper House from Bihar as a nominee of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). His move is being seen as a major political shift that could pave the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to install its own Chief Minister in Bihar for the first time.
Sources indicate that a new government formation in the state could take shape after the Baisakhi festival on April 13.
Nitish Kumar’s political journey began in 1985 as an MLA in Bihar. He later served as a Union Minister in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee before emerging as a dominant figure in state politics. He first became Chief Minister in 2000 for a brief stint and returned to power with a full mandate in 2005, continuing in the role for most of the period since, except for a short phase when he installed Jitan Ram Manjhi as his successor.
Known for his frequent political realignments, Nitish has shifted alliances multiple times between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). His first major break from the NDA came in 2013 over Narendra Modi being projected as the BJP’s prime ministerial face.
He later joined hands with the RJD, Congress, and Left parties in 2015, only to return to the NDA in 2017 following corruption allegations against RJD leadership, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. The NDA went on to dominate the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.
In 2022, Nitish once again broke away from the BJP and formed a government with the RJD and Congress, before making his final switch back to the NDA in January 2024.
Despite these shifts, Nitish Kumar remained a central figure in Bihar politics, often managing to retain power by recalibrating alliances. His latest move to the Rajya Sabha is widely viewed as a strategic exit from state politics, even as he introduces his son Nishant Kumar into the political arena.
While Nishant has begun engaging with party workers across Bihar, political observers believe it may take time before he establishes a footing comparable to his father’s long-standing influence.
