NEW DELHI: Politics in Bihar has revolved around Jayaprakash Narayan’s disciples —Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav — for more than three decades. With Lalu stepping back from active politics and Nitish now opting for a Rajya Sabha seat over the state’s top job, Bihar appears to be entering an unknown phase, with a new face likely to take over as chief minister.After an overwhelming performance in the recently held Bihar assembly elections, Nitish filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.“I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time. I want to assure you with complete honesty that my relationship with you will continue in the future as well, and my resolve to work together with you to build a developed Bihar will remain steadfast. The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance,” the 75-year-old politician wrote on X.Although many anticipated this move amid speculation about his deteriorating health, Nitish’s sudden announcement still surprised many who expected a smoother transition plan.In the coming days, Nitish is expected to win the election unopposed and move to the Rajya Sabha, thus resigning from the chief ministerial post. The Janata Dal (United) chief’s decision not only ends the political lineage of JP Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur in Bihar but also throws his party into uncharted waters with no clear roadmap for the future.After Nitish, who?Nitish had long been the “Peer-Bawarchi-Bhisti-Khar” for his party. Despite never managing an outright majority in the state assembly, Nitish Kumar‘s “Sushasan Babu” image helped the party remain in the driver’s seat of Bihar politics for more than two decades.However, the party never managed to nurture a second line of command beyond Nitish. Leaders like Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh and Vijay Choudhary exist within the party, but none enjoys a mass connection with the JD(U)’s core vote base.Additionally, Nitish has always been a staunch opponent of dynastic politics. Throughout his long political career, he never allowed his family members to enter politics in any form. Unlike Lalu, who made his son Tejashwi Yadav his political heir, Nitish’s son Nishant has remained away from politics.
Amid these ongoing developments, speculation is growing that Nishant may make a political debut, with the party seeing him as a potential link to its core supporters.“Now, it’s clear, and it has been finalised that Nishant Kumar will join active politics. The party will make a formal announcement in a day or two. Party workers have been demanding Nishant’s entry into politics for several years. Now party workers and supporters are upbeat with the decision ahead of Holi,” senior JD(U) leader Shrawan Kumar told news agency PTI.However, Nitish’s brother-in-law Anil Kumar accused Sanjay Jha and Lallan Singh of hatching a conspiracy against JD(U).“The workers are clearly saying that Sanjay Jha and Lalan (Rajiv Ranjan) Singh are involved in this… This cannot happen without a conspiracy… All the workers are saying Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh’s name,” he said. In conversation with The Times of India, political analyst Kumar Vijay said that JD(U)’s future looks bleak after Nitish Kumar’s exit from the centre stage of Bihar politics.
“Nitish Kumar’s exit in this manner is not a natural political transition. If it had been a natural process, it would have been different. Everyone says Nitish Kumar’s health is not good, but the way events unfolded has surprised many. From what it appears, the future of JD(U) looks quite difficult. People say that Nishant may take over, but he has no political experience. Also, the people around him are not very open yet, but there seems to be something happening internally that is preventing Nitish Kumar from speaking openly,” Vijay said.“At the same time, the role of leaders like Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh, Vijay Choudhary and Ashok Choudhary looks suspicious. In a way, they have deserted Nitish Kumar, and there may be no one left capable of holding JD(U) together. At the worker level, protests have already begun. Hardcore JD(U) workers believe this is BJP’s handling of the situation,” he added.Will BJP-JD(U) merge?Kumar Vijay also feels that there might be a possibility that JD(U) will merge with its ally BJP in the coming days, though not everyone in the party may accept such a move.“There is also a possibility that BJP and JD(U) may merge in the future, though not everyone in JD(U) will accept such a merger. Several leaders may resist it. Some leaders within the party may move to RJD, while others may join BJP,” Vijay told The Times of India.
“Earlier, JD(U) workers even voted for BJP candidates because they believed Nitish Kumar would ultimately remain chief minister. But now many hardcore workers may refuse to support BJP in the future,” he added.Nitish Kumar’s decision to move to Rajya Sabha has come just five months after BJP emerged as the elder brother in the alliance. In the 2025 assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 89 seats with a vote share of 20.45%, while JD(U) secured 85 seats with 19.61% votes.After the thumping victory, BJP appeared less a coalition partner and more a challenger trying to manoeuvre itself into the driver’s seat of power. It secured a larger share in the cabinet of ministers and Nitish Kumar also had to let go of the home portfolio.Interestingly, Bihar was the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not held the top office so far.What happens to Nitish Kumar’s EBC vote bank?Over time, Nitish gradually positioned himself as the “poster boy” of the Extremely Backward Class (EBC), which constitutes the largest portion of the population in Bihar.The JD(U) chief made a conscious effort to weave his support base around the entire EBC community by modelling his politics on Karpoori Thakur’s ideals and focusing specifically on the economically weaker sections.After his exit, questions also arise over who will get the advantage of the EBC vote bank.According to Kumar Vijay, no party in Bihar seems to be in a position to inherit the non-Yadav OBC and EBC vote banks.
“If Tejashwi Yadav had strong leadership credentials, that vote bank could have shifted to RJD. But the biggest tragedy in Bihar today is the lack of strong political leadership. Congress doesn’t have it, RJD doesn’t have it either. Despite being a politically mature state, Bihar is facing a serious leadership crisis,” he said.“Upendra Kushwaha has lost credibility. Tejashwi Yadav has not emerged as a grassroots leader. LJP too has become more of a dramatic political outfit,” he added.For Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s move to Rajya Sabha signals the end of a long political chapter that revolved around him, his constant alliance flip-flops and his ‘susashan’ government. We will know in the coming days who will take his position as CM. However, the coming months will determine how his party and state’s politics evolve beyond him.
