Bihar's top leadership is set for a possible rejig after a report claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could step down from his post if elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The JD(U) chief is expected to file his nomination for the upper House of Parliament on Thursday, a News18 report said, citing sources.
Notably, the 75-year-old veteran has taken oath as Chief Minister for a record 10 times, occupying the top post continuously since 2015, except for a brief period that saw Jitan Ram Manjhi as the Chief Minister.
This has sparked speculations about what his cabinet could look like after his possible exit, as well as questions of how his only son, Nishant Kumar, would figure in the new arrangement.
The report noted that Nishant could even be elevated to the post of Deputy CM, in line with claims that Bihar's top brass wanted a "dramatic entry" for him into active politics.
Nishant's role in the possible post-Nitish future is also said to have been a part of the closed-door meeting between JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha and Nitish Kumar on Wednesday.
However, no official confirmation has come from the JD(U) or the NDA alliance.
The challenge of the fifth Rajya Sabha seat
There are five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar in play. For four of these seats, one needs support from 41 MLAs.
As the NDA boasts a combined strength of 202 legislators in the Bihar assembly—comprising BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM and RLJM—it is highly likely to win those four seats.
However, the fifth seat presents a bigger challenge, as Upendra Kushwaha has been named the NDA candidate for that seat—a move that LJP chief Chirag Paswan claimed he was unaware of.
This anomaly will now have to be resolved ahead of Nitish Kumar's nomination filing on Thursday, in order to eliminate the risk of absenteeism or cross-voting.
