Rumours swirl over Nitish’s possible RS move; Giriraj says ‘Holi prank’

Speculation gripped Bihar’s political circles on Wednesday amid reports that chief minister Nitish Kumar may move to the Rajya Sabha, a development that could pave the way for the BJP to take over the top post in the state while accommodating his son Nishant Kumar as deputy chief minister.

The rumours, however, were quickly dismissed by senior BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh, who described them as a “Holi prank”. “Nitish Kumar ji is the chief minister,” Singh said when asked about the reports.

The buzz comes as Bihar prepares for elections to five Rajya Sabha seats, with the filing of nomination papers scheduled to close on Thursday, 5 March.

While the BJP has already announced its two candidates — including national general-secretary Nitin Nabin — and confirmed another term for junior NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha, the Janata Dal (United) is yet to formally declare its nominees.

The speculation about Kumar’s possible move to the Rajya Sabha surfaced a day after the JD(U) announced that his son Nishant would make a belated entry into politics. Nishant, who is in his late 40s and has largely stayed away from public life, is yet to be formally inducted into the party.

Earlier, there had been conjecture that Nishant himself could be sent directly to the Rajya Sabha.

However, with less than 24 hours left for filing nominations, several media reports claimed that Kumar — who turned 75 earlier this month and has been chief minister since 2005 — could take the Rajya Sabha route as part of what was described as an “honourable exit” from active state politics.

According to these unconfirmed reports, the BJP, which has been performing better than the JD(U) in recent elections, could finally secure the chief minister’s post in Bihar — the only Hindi heartland state where the party has so far not held the top executive office on its own.

The reports further suggested that, as part of a possible political arrangement within the ruling NDA alliance, Nishant Kumar could be accommodated as deputy chief minister. However, there has been no official confirmation from either the JD(U) or the BJP about any such plan.

JD(U) MLC Sanjay Kumar alias 'Gandhi ji', considered a close aide of Nitish Kumar, expressed surprise when asked about the reports. “We have no information about who will be the Rajya Sabha candidates of the party. There is an impression that Union minister Ram Nath Thakur may retain his seat, but that is also not official,” he said.

“As regards the other seat, it is a decision to be taken by the chief minister, who is known to reveal his cards at the eleventh hour. We cannot say anything on the reports in the media,” he added.

For now, the speculation remains unconfirmed, but the rumours have added to political intrigue in Bihar as the deadline for Rajya Sabha nominations approaches.

With PTI inputs