Who Will be Bihar’s Next CM? Nitish Kumar Still Holds the Ace

(This article was originally published on 25 March. It has been republished as Nitish Kumar takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP on Friday, 10 April.)Nitish Kumar isn't showing signs of signing off from his pivotal office as Chief Minister of Bihar, having recently embarked on another phase of his ‘Samriddhi Yatra' across the state.Even Nitish’s election to the Rajya Sabha has failed to lift the veil on the suspense surrounding the next CM of Bihar, and he has so far been in no rush to resign from his membership of the Legislative Council of Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Patna are also now growing wary over the delay in picking the new CM.With Nitish’s past record as a hard bargainer and springer of surprise still buzzing on the streets, the political pot in Patna remains on the boil. Nothing is cast in stone until events unfold, and ball seems to be in Nitish's court.Nitish Aide for 5 Decades, KC Tyagi Resigns From JDU, Plans Next Political MoveA week has now passed since the election of Nitish Kumar to the Rajya Sabha. But he still seems to be the CM of Bihar, unveiling projects across districts during the yatras. The marches may seem like his farewell outreach to the people, but he has not held back from pulling political punches. This can only be read as his not-so-subtle message to the BJP top brass that he’s still among his people, his popularity intact.Upon his election to the Rajya Sabha, Nitish should have immediately resigned from his membership of the Bihar Legislative Council. At least, this must be how BJP leaders wished it. Technically, he should quit the membership by the end of this month to abide by the 14-day deadline to do so after election to the Rajya Sabha, which came on 17 March.Unless he quits the MLC position, however, Nitish will hold the ace to spring a surprise. By not rushing to quit his membership, the leader has also sent out the message that the final script has not yet been written.Critics Wrote Him Off and Now Nitish is Kingmaker. But What of JD(U)'s Future?Nitish's exit from the office of the CM indeed means that the post, technically, now goes to the BJP. But the saffron party still has to deal with Nitish's hard politics. This is clear from the fact that, even after the landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, it had taken days for the portfolio distribution in Bihar for ministers to come about.Intent, nevertheless, to grab power and pivot the political winds of Patna, the BJP not only acquired the post of the Bihar Assembly Speaker, but also the Home Department portfolio, held by Nitish for years. The post of the Assembly Speaker is crucial if political drama involving MLAs switching allegiances unfolds, despite the anti-defection law.The BJP was making it clear that the party was no longer a junior affiliate to the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] in the state. Along with the Speaker’s post and the Home Department, two deputy CMs from the BJP’s ranks gave the outfit a domineering position in the state politics.If the BJP were to get the post of the CM, while retaining the post of the Assembly Speaker and the Home Department, the JD(U) leaders may be faced with rapid marginalisation of the party, despite its strength of 85 MLAs, just four less than the BJP’s 89. It has now emerged, however, as per JD(U) insiders, that Nitish Kumar is eyeing a complete role reversal—this would essentially mean his party taking back what the BJP took after the 2025 Assembly elections.Nishant Takes Oath as Bihar Minister: The Peculiar Politics of Nitish' SonInitially, it had emerged that Nishant Kumar, son of Nitish, will become the deputy CM of Bihar. The BJP leaders sought to argue that he will be the lone deputy CM as another from the party ranks will diminish his stature. Now, the JD(U) camp is sending indications that Nitish is not showing interest in such arguments and wants both the posts for the JD(U). This also means that the BJP cannot claim the post of the CM, or retain one deputy CM from the party ranks.The BJP, thus, is now in a spot, because the party needs two posts to show caste balance.If the next CM from the BJP ranks happens to be from the extremely backward castes (EBCs), the post of deputy CM is required to assure its core constituency of the upper castes, which are already restive after the contentious University Grants Commission (UGC) regulation. Nitish, according to claims of top-ranking JD(U) leaders, has revealed to the BJP that he’s a tough negotiator.Nishant Takes Oath as Bihar Minister: The Peculiar Politics of Nitish' SonNitish's core coterie consists of leaders who belong to the old socialist school, as well as a few who are close to the BJP top brass. The likes of Sanjay Jha and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh had hogged the limelight in the event of Nishant's induction in the JD(U).But the other batch of the JD(U) leaders such as Vijay Kumar Choudhary are now asserting their influence on Nitish. Party insiders have stressed to The Quint that “parde ke peeche khel chal raha hai” (politics is churning behind closed doors).It is often said that when Nitish Kumar gets angry upon a set of his party leaders not following his commands, his favourite retaliatory phrase is to say—Aage se yahan entry band kar denge (your/their access will be denied henceforth).In a House of 243 members, the JD(U) has 84 MLAs. Nitish’s outfit is numerically much stronger now. In the 2020 state polls, the JD(U) had won only 43 seats. After Nitish leaves the CM's post, the power arrangement in Patna must respect the numerical strength of the JD(U). Party insiders, however, claim that Nitish wants more than just respect—he wants lasting arrangements that will insulate JD(U) from the risks of future marginalisation by the saffron party.(The author is a senior Delhi-based journalist, who has covered the JD (U) and the BJP for over two decades for India’s leading English dailies. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author's own. The Quint does not endorse or is responsible for them.)

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Why Rajya Sabha MP Nitish Kumar is Still the Bihar CM

Nitish Kumar, according to top-ranking JD(U) leaders, has revealed to the BJP that he’s a tough negotiator.

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