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    EYE ON INDIA                                                           MARCH 13, 2026      |  The Indian Eye                    6

             Nitish Kumar’s Rajya Sabha Move:

                        Strategy, Legacy and the Next

                                     Phase of Bihar Politics

                  The Bihar Chief Minister’s decision to shift to Parliament signals a political

                transition that could reshape power equations in the state and within the NDA.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            surrounding Kumar’s decision. On
                                                                                                                  one level, the move reflects the tra-
            Patna / New Delhi
                                                                                                                  jectory of a leader who has already
                  ihar politics rarely moves qui-                                                                 achieved almost everything possible
                  etly, and Nitish Kumar’s deci-                                                                  in state politics. Since first becoming
            Bsion to file his nomination for                                                                      Chief Minister in 2005, Kumar has
            the Rajya Sabha has triggered one                                                                     shaped Bihar’s political landscape
            of the most consequential debates in                                                                  through a mix of development-fo-
            the state in years. After winning the                                                                 cused governance and deft coalition
            2025  Assembly  election  and  taking                                                                 management.
            oath for a record tenth time as Chief                                                                     His career has also been marked
            Minister, Kumar’s choice to move                                                                      by dramatic political realignments.
            to Parliament has  raised questions                                                                   Since 2013, Kumar has alternated
            about succession, coalition strategy                                                                  between alliances with the BJP and
            and the future direction of Bihar’s                                                                   the  opposition  Mahagathbandhan
            governance.                                                                                           coalition multiple times—in 2013,
                The 75-year-old leader an-                                                                        2017, 2022 and 2024. Yet despite
            nounced his decision in a public mes-                                                                 these shifts, his political durability
            sage, framing it not as a withdrawal                                                                  has remained remarkable.
            from politics but as a shift in role. “I                                                                  The decision to enter the Rajya
            seek to become a member of the Ra-                                                                    Sabha may therefore represent an
            jya Sabha in the elections being held   Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar files his nomination for the NDA’s Rajya Sabha candidate   attempt to secure his legacy while
            this time,” he said, assuring support-                                                                ensuring continued relevance in
            ers that his relationship with them   from Bihar in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, State Deputy Chief Minister   national politics. As a senior parlia-
            would remain intact. “My resolve to   Samrat Choudhary and other dignitaries, in Patna on Thursday (@NitinNabin X/ANI Photo)  mentarian,  Kumar  could  influence
            work together with you to build a de-                                                                 policy debates, advise the NDA
            veloped Bihar will remain steadfast.   Modi’s leadership, he made a signif-  ularly the growing influence of the   leadership and continue to repre-
            The new government that will be   icant contribution to Bihar’s prog-  Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar. Te-  sent Bihar’s interests in Delhi with-
            formed will have my full cooperation   ress in every way, and it was under   jashwi Yadav, the Leader of Oppo-  out being tied to day-to-day state
            and guidance.”                    his leadership that all of PM Modi’s   sition in the state assembly, accused   administration.
                Coming only months after the   initiatives reached the people of Bi-  the BJP of sidelining Kumar despite   For  the  BJP,  the shift  could
            2025 Assembly election delivered a   har,” Shah said, welcoming Kumar’s   the alliance’s election slogan that   open space for a new leadership
            two-thirds majority to the Nation-  return to national politics.    promised his continued leadership.  structure within Bihar. With Kumar
            al Democratic Alliance (NDA), the     Other allies echoed similar sen-  “I always said ‘Nitish ji ko ghoda   moving to Parliament, the party may
            move carries symbolic and strategic   timents. Upendra Kushwaha said   toh chadaya hai dulha banake lekin   gain  greater  influence  in  the  state
            significance. Kumar had just secured   Kumar had already served Bihar   phera kisi aur ke sath dila raha hai,’”   government and potentially position
            his fifth electoral victory and extend-  for more than twenty years as Chief   Yadav said, suggesting that Kumar   one of its own leaders for a larger
            ed his tenure as the longest-serving   Minister and would now serve at the   had been projected as the leader but   role.
            Chief Minister in Bihar’s history. In   national level. Lok Janshakti Party   that someone else might ultimately   For now, Kumar’s shift from
            that context, stepping away from the   (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti de-  take power. “The BJP has complete-  Patna to Delhi marks a turning
            state’s top executive position appears   scribed the moment as “the end of an   ly hijacked Nitish Kumar.”  point  in  one  of  the  most durable
            less like an electoral defeat and more   era and the beginning of another,”   Congress  leader  Jairam  Ra-  political careers in contemporary
            like a carefully timed transition.  crediting Kumar with bringing the   mesh went even further, describing   India. Whether seen as strategic re-
                Supporters within the NDA have   state out of what supporters often   the move as a “leadership coup and   positioning, coalition recalibration
            interpreted the move as a natural   describe as the “Jungle Raj” period.  regime change.” According to Ra-  or the closing of a chapter in Bihar’s
            progression in the career of a leader   The interpretation from the op-  mesh, the development represented   political history, the decision signals
            who has dominated Bihar politics for   position, however, is sharply different.  “a huge betrayal of the mandate of   that the state’s political story is en-
            two decades. Amit Shah described      Critics  argue  that  the  decision   the people.”              tering a new phase—one that will
            Kumar’s tenure as a defining period   reflects a deeper shift in the power   These competing narratives   unfold under the long shadow of the
            for the state. “For 11 years under PM   dynamics within the NDA, partic-  highlight the political complexity   man who led it for two decades.

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