Nitish Kumar's decision to contest the Rajya Sabha elections signals the end of his long-standing tenure as Bihar's Chief Minister, paving the way for a potential BJP leader to take the helm.
Nishant Kumar's demand that the NDA name Nitish Kumar as its chief ministerial nominee is seen as a gambit to consolidate the CM's position in the ruling alliance.
Nishant Kumar, son of former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, is poised to enter Bihar politics by joining the Samrat Choudhary government, marking a significant development in the state's political landscape.
'Nitish Kumar is the only leader who gave us everything.'
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking a fifth term, has asserted that he will remain in the NDA, crediting the BJP for his rise to power. Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, reiterated his stance at the Khelo India Youth Games. He has been a BJP ally since the mid-1990s but parted ways in 2013. Kumar's return to the NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha polls last year, after previously joining hands with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, has sparked debate about his political strategy.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has predicted that JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will contest the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar in alliance with the BJP but may switch sides later, with hopes for another term as the chief minister. Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, also asserted that Kumar's popularity has declined and he is unlikely to win a fifth consecutive term. He challenged the BJP to declare Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate, arguing that they would struggle to win seats if they did so. Kishor also criticized Kumar's leadership, accusing him of being "physically tired and mentally retired" and of "bringing disrepute to Bihar" by touching Prime Minister Narendra Modi's feet. He said his new party will enter the fray to pull Bihar "out of the political rut" and that the state's much-touted prohibition policy is an example of the BJP's duplicity.
JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar has announced a new list of national office bearers for the party, including a vice president and 11 general secretaries. The list does not include Kumar's son Nishant. Sanjay Kumar Jha remains the national working president.
The Bihar chief minister had a point to prove in the latest assembly elections, which were held amid speculations of a fatigue factor, if not downright anti-incumbency, made worse by rumours of his indifferent health.
For nearly two decades, Nitish Kumar has cultivated women as a distinct constituency. 'To create a broader vote base, he thought it would be better to bring women to electoral politics.'
Tejashwi Yadav, the INDIA bloc's chief ministerial candidate, alleges that Amit Shah's recent statement indicates BJP's plan to remove Nitish Kumar from power after the Bihar assembly elections.
The list included turncoats like Shyam Rajak, who returned to the JD-U, quitting RJD about a year ago, and don-turned-politician Anant Kumar Singh, who had filed nomination papers from the Mokama assembly seat on Tuesday.
Will Nitish Kumar file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha on Thursday morning?
'If the NDA returns with the BJP substantially ahead of the JD-U, a BJP CM bid becomes plausible; if the gap is narrow or JD-U holds pivotal seats, continuity with Nitish is the lower-risk option.'
'The name will be declared at the right time.'
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, is set to enter politics, with a formal announcement expected from the JD(U). Party leaders express enthusiasm and anticipate a significant role for Nishant within the party.
Hours before his plunge into politics, Nishant met senior JD-U leaders and young MLAs to understand the party's future plans.
Riding on the clear trends of Bihar Assembly polls which pointed towards a landslide victory of the National Democratic Alliance over the Mahagathbandhan, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas chief Chirag Paswan said on Friday that he firmly believed that Nitish Kumar would continue to remain the state's chief minister.
Nitish thought that his stakes as chief minister were far greater than his stakes in protecting one of his party MLAs. He could not allow his rule-of-law train to be derailed by a small rock on the track. On the contrary, if he removed it to keep the train moving at a steady speed he would gain strong public admiration and sympathy that would help him take the masses along in carrying out other tasks. A fascinating excerpt from Arun Sinha's Nitish Kumar And The Rise Of Bihar.
Newly-elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislative party in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, met Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) at Lok Bhavan on Tuesday and staked a claim to form the government in the state.
'Demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on Nitishji is to sideline him in politics and force him to retire from politics.'
Iltija Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party leader, filed a police complaint in Srinagar seeking a first information report against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a widely circulated video showing him removing a woman doctor's naqab at an official event in Patna.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed anger when a group of women left an event where he was speaking about government initiatives for women's empowerment.
Members of allies, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Lok Janshakti Party, were left out from the cabinet expansion.
Bihar voted in the first phase of assembly elections on Thursday for 121 seats.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's assets have increased slightly to Rs 1.65 crore, while several ministers are wealthier, according to the latest asset disclosure.
In the recent Bihar elections, a majority of state ministers from the ruling NDA secured victories in their respective constituencies, with only one minister losing their seat.
Is Nitish Kumar, seen here at an Iftar party in Patna on Friday, April 15, 2022, worried at the video making the rounds of social media of men wearing saffron scarves brandishing swords and shouting slogans outside a mosque in Chhapra, north Bihar?
'Nitish Kumar may be marginalised as an office-holder, but that is not the same thing as the disappearance of Nitish Kumar's politics.'
Samrat Choudhary's appointment as Bihar's Chief Minister marks a significant milestone for the BJP, ushering in a new era of leadership in the state's political landscape.
Nitish Kumar may be in the chief minister's chair again, but with the BJP grabbing the home department and the assembly speaker's post, the real power in Bihar has shifted unmistakably, reports MI Khan.
The Opposition had the numbers to win one Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar. As it turned out, four MLAs skipped the voting, helping the NDA to sweep the polls.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has moved to an ashram on the outskirts of Patna to continue his political activities ahead of the next assembly elections. He criticised Nitish Kumar and urged voters to prioritise their own interests.
'Samrat Chaudhury's limited independent standing within the party, his reliance on the central leadership for his elevation, and his lack of a personal mass base all point toward this outcome.'
'Nitish Kumar is fooling the people of Bihar.' 'He will not probe anything because if he does so, he will be trapped himself.'
'If the BJP had its way, it would sideline him in favour of someone else. But that's not feasible. There is no vote catcher in Bihar for the BJP.'
Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey addresses the controversy surrounding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removing a female doctor's veil, stating he is unaware of reports that she refused to join duty following the incident. A Congress leader has filed a complaint against Kumar and another minister.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left the dais before the national anthem at the inauguration of an international sports event in Patna, sparking controversy. Opposition RJD president Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav accused the chief minister of disrespecting the national anthem. The Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025 is being held at the Pataliputra Sports Complex, with 300 players and support staff from 21 countries taking part. Kumar, 74, walked towards the participants and greeted them with a "namaste" and a wave of the hand before the national anthem was played. A video clip of the incident was shared on social media by Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, who both alleged that the chief minister "disrespected the national anthem".
Eleven days after Nitish Kumar government declared 28 of 38 districts as drought hit, he announced in his speech that remaining 10 districts have been declared as drought hit."Now entire Bihar has been declared drought hit in view of scanty rainfall" Nitish Kumar said.
It has been a chequered political journey for Samrat Choudhary, who began his political career as a minister in Bihar nearly three decades ago, only to be removed by the then-Governor following allegations about his eligibility.
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