NEW DELHI: The BJP is on the brink of a historic first in Bihar. After an extended wait – spanning first the Lalu period after which the Nitish period in Bihar – the saffron get together is all set to get its first chief minister within the state. This follows JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar’s “voluntary determination” to return to nationwide politics, marking the most important political transition within the state in current instances. Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who led the NDA alliance to a thumping victory within the meeting elections simply 4 months in the past, right this moment filed his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha paving the way in which for a change of guard within the state.Saying his determination, Nitish Kumar mentioned in a publish on X: “For greater than twenty years, you’ve persistently positioned your belief and assist in me, and it’s on the power of that belief that we’ve got served Bihar and all of you with full dedication. It was the ability of your belief and assist that has enabled Bihar right this moment to current a brand new dimension of improvement and dignity. In line with this aspiration, I search to develop into a member of the Rajya Sabha within the elections being held this time.“
Nitish Kumar’s transfer marks the tip of an period in Bihar politics. However does it come as a shock? The reply is “no”. The transition was broadly anticipated particularly after the BJP edged previous the JD(U) as the most important get together within the ruling coalition for the second time in a row. Within the 2025 meeting elections, the BJP emerged as the only largest get together profitable 89 seats with a vote share of 20.45% whereas the JD(U)’s rating was 85 with 19.61% votes. Nonetheless, the BJP didn’t stake declare to the highest publish and Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister for the report tenth time. However the dominance of BJP in decision-making grew to become evident because the saffron get together bought a lion’s share within the new council of ministers and for the primary time Nitish Kumar needed to let go of the all-important house portfolio. The swearing-in ceremony of Nitish Kumar was extra of a BJP present of power. It was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union house minister Amit Shah and quite a lot of their cupboard colleagues, moreover CMs of a number of states dominated by the BJP.In reality, the BJP might have claimed the highest publish in Bihar six years again in 2020. The BJP had then received 74 seats with a vote share of 19.46%. This was virtually double of what Nitish Kumar’s get together had received: 43 meeting seats with a vote share of 15.39%. Nonetheless, the BJP determined to honour its pre-poll dedication of creating Nitish Kumar the chief minister if the alliance received the elections. The BJP maybe didn’t have an possibility then as Lalu Prasad’s RJD had received 75 seats and would have readily supported Nitish Kumar to maintain the BJP out. So, Nitish Kumar continued as chief minister. Nonetheless, the ability dynamics throughout the Bihar NDA had modified because the BJP for the primary time grew to become the senior ally within the coalition. It has been an extended anticipate the BJP to have its first chief minister in Bihar. It’s the solely Hindi heartland state the place the get together has not held the highest workplace thus far. The BJP and the JD(U) got here collectively within the state for the primary time in 2005. From 2005 to 2015, the JD(U), guided by Nitish Kumar’s towering presence, was the dominant accomplice within the coalition. Even quantity clever, the JD(U) was all the time forward of the BJP – forcing the saffron get together to play second fiddle within the state coalition. Such was the dominance of Nitish Kumar in state politics, that the BJP was compelled to welcome him again with open arms twice after the JD(U) left the NDA and joined palms with the rival Mahagathbandhan. It’s on this context that the flip of occasions in Bihar is important for the BJP. Its rivals have been fast to attract parallels from Maharashtra to assault the saffron get together for coercing Nitish Kumar into submission. RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, chief of the opposition within the state meeting, alleged that the BJP had all the time been against Dalits and OBCs, and with Kumar leaving the CM’s publish the get together would try to implement its agenda within the socialist stronghold.“The BJP has achieved a Maharashtra in Bihar. We have now been saying from the very starting that the BJP is not going to let Nitish Kumar stay the chief minister after the elections. That is precisely what has occurred. This improvement is in opposition to the mandate of the folks and quantities to a betrayal of it,” he mentioned.Congress common secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh mentioned, “What the Indian Nationwide Congress had been saying usually through the Bihar election marketing campaign has now come to go.”“A management coup and regime change orchestrated by G2 has taken place. It’s, in some ways, an enormous betrayal of the mandate of the folks,” Ramesh mentioned on X.For the BJP, the subsequent large problem could be to maintain the caste concerns in thoughts in deciding the subsequent chief minister of the state. The names of some large contenders – Samrat Choudhary who’s the deputy chief minister, Nityanand Rai, who’s a Union minister are already doing the rounds. However these large names might be preserving their fingers crossed given the BJP monitor report. It has not often chosen outstanding faces to guide the federal government and has as an alternative all the time shocked by choosing up unknown leaders for the publish of chief minister.
