Nitish Kumar LIVE: Samrat Choudhary, Chirag Paswan congratulate Bihar CM on being named for Rajya Sabha

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan extended his best wishes to Nitish Kumar after he was nominated by the NDA for the Rajya Sabha elections. "Honourable Chief Minister, heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on being nominated for the Rajya Sabha by the NDA alliance. I have full confidence that with your experience, dedication and spirit of public service, the interests of the nation and society will be strongly represented in the Upper House of Parliament," Paswan added. 

Samrat Choudhary took to X to congratulate Nitish Kumar after he was declared the JD(U) candidate for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections. "Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to respected Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar ji on being declared the JD(U) candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections 2026. Your visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to good governance, and continuous efforts for the overall development of Bihar are a source of inspiration for all of us. I am confident that with your experience and leadership, the dignity of the Rajya Sabha will become even stronger," Choudhary added. 

Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filing his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, senior RJD leader Manoj Jha said the message posted by the CM on X did not appear to be written or dictated by him. Jha claimed the statement seemed to have originated from "Delhi" and added that the core leadership and workers of Janata Dal (United) were deeply hurt by the development.

Reacting to reports of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being nominated to the Rajya Sabha, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Mrityunjay Tiwari said they did not expect the Bharatiya Janata Party to move so quickly to sideline him. "Some members within Janata Dal (United) are working in coordination with the BJP," he said. The RJD also added that political possibilities in Bihar are still open and the situation may evolve further.

Speculation about a leadership transition had been circulating for some time due to concerns over Nitish Kumar’s health and advancing age. While the change appears to be happening sooner than many expected, NDA insiders believe it could help the new leadership settle in well before the next major electoral contest in the state.

Although the BJP emerged with a larger number of MLAs in the 2020 and 2025 Assembly elections, the party continued to support Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister. Leaders often cited his seniority and broad acceptability across social groups as the main reasons for keeping him at the helm.

Following his first stint in office, Nitish Kumar went on to serve nine additional terms as Chief Minister. Throughout this period, he navigated complex political alignments, alternating between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the coalition led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Indian National Congress. Despite frequent alliance shifts, he remained the central figure in Bihar's fragmented political arena. 

Nitish Kumar entered the Lok Sabha in 1989 from the Barh constituency and represented it for about 15 years. In 1999, he served as Railway Minister in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee before eventually becoming Bihar's Chief Minister for the first time in 2000.

A follower of socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia, Nitish Kumar began his political career during the JP Movement and was among the young activists imprisoned during the Emergency in India. He was first elected as an MLA in 1985, which remains the last time he contested an Assembly election. Since then, he has served either as a Member of the Legislative Council or a Member of Parliament.

After shaping Bihar's politics for almost two decades and taking oath as Chief Minister a record ten times, Nitish Kumar is now set to move to the Rajya Sabha. The development could signal the closing phase of a long and influential political journey at the state level.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has broken his silence on reports about his move to the Rajya Sabha, explaining the reasons behind his decision in a post on X. Addressing the people of Bihar, he wrote, "For more than two decades, you have consistently kept your trust and support in me. With that strength, we have served Bihar and all of you with full dedication. It was the power of your trust and support that Bihar today is presenting a new dimension of development and dignity. For this, I have expressed my gratitude to you many times earlier as well.”

Explaining his decision further, Nitish Kumar said, "From the beginning of my parliamentary life, I had a wish that I should become a member of both Houses of the Bihar Legislature as well as both Houses of Parliament. In this sequence, I now wish to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing election. I want to assure you with complete honesty that my relationship with you will continue in the future as well and the resolve to build a developed Bihar together with you will remain unchanged. The new government that will be formed will receive my full support and guidance."

Reacting to reports that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could move to the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader Rashid Alvi said the development could be part of a larger strategy by the Bharatiya Janata Party to consolidate power in the state. He suggested that the BJP may shift Nitish Kumar to national politics and install its own Chief Minister in Bihar. "This is very possible as the BJP always wants complete power, so even when the assembly elections happened, there was an expectation that BJP would make its own Chief Minister, although it didn't happen at that time, so it will now. They can bring Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to Delhi and announce their own Chief Minister. This could be BJP's strategy. 

Alvi also questioned speculation about Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar entering politics. "Isn't BJP very much against dynastic politics? So how is this possible? Have they changed their policy?..." he asked.

Amid growing reports about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar possibly moving to the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said that no official decision has been announced yet. He stated that the party's ally, the Janata Dal (United), has not released any list of candidates so far. “It is not known yet. Our ally party, JD(U), has not issued any list. It is not right to speculate on anything before that. Nitish Kumar is the supreme leader of the JD(U). Whatever decision he makes, that person will go to the Rajya Sabha from his party,” he said.

JD(U) workers gather outside Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's residence to protest over the reports of him going to the Rajya Sabha. "Nitish Kumar cannot insult the public's mandate. There is a huge pressure on him as part of a major conspiracy," a woman protester said. 

The nomination receipt for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has now been officially issued, indicating that his entry into the Rajya Sabha is almost certain. With the receipt for his nomination papers processed, the development signals that Nitish Kumar's move to the Upper House is now virtually confirmed, as per sources. 

Political observers believe Nitish Kumar's move to the Rajya Sabha could mark one of the biggest transitions in Bihar politics in two decades. As the longest serving Chief Minister in the state, his possible exit from the top post could lead to a complete reshaping of the power structure within the ruling alliance.

The Election Commission of India has announced that voting for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across ten states, including Bihar, will be held on March 16. With the nomination deadline ending today, all eyes remain on Patna as Nitish Kumar prepares to take the next step in his political career.

Nitish Kumar's likely entry into the Rajya Sabha has triggered intense speculation about Bihar's future leadership. Political observers believe the development could open the door for the Bharatiya Janata Party to lead the state government with its own Chief Minister for the first time.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present during the nomination filing ceremony. Senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party are also likely to join the event, signalling the importance the ruling alliance is attaching to the development.

In Patna, a worker of the Janata Dal (United) voiced strong support for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and questioned the speculation about his possible shift to the Rajya Sabha. He alleged that attempts were being made to create confusion around the leader’s political future. "The people of Bihar have elected him as the Chief Minister from 2025 to 2030. What is the compulsion to send him to the Rajya Sabha? He will remain the Chief Minister... Our leader was, is and will be Nitish Kumar," the JD-U worker added. 

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) has reacted to reports about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar possibly filing nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections. He made it clear that the final decision rests entirely with Nitish Kumar. Speaking to reporters, the senior leader said the choice lies with the JD(U) chief himself. "The decision will be taken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It is his party (JD-U), he will go wherever he wants. It doesn't matter what we want, it is about what he wants. No one can even imagine what Nitish Kumar has done in Bihar. He has transformed Bihar. The decision will be taken by Nitish Kumar only," Singh added. 

With speculation mounting over Chief Minister Nitish Kumar potentially moving to Rajya Sabha, Minister Ramkripal Yadav today stated that it is an internal matter of the Janata Dal (United) and the CM's decision is paramount, while terming the opposition as "troubled." Speaking to news agency ANI on reports of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar going to the Rajya Sabha, Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav said it is an internal matter of JD(U). "Nitish Kumar's decision paramount. This is an internal matter of the Janata Dal (United), and they will make the decision--those led by Nitish Kumar--and his decision is paramount," he added.

Janata Dal (United)'s Rajeev Ranjan Patel and party supporters today raised slogans in support of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership in the state and opposed his speculated move to the Rajya Sabha. The supporters gathered outside the residence of CM Nitish Kumar and raised slogans that they "want no one else (as CM)" Speaking to the media, Rajeev Ranjan Patel said, "We only want to see Nitish Kumar as the CM of Bihar. We are against Nitish Kumar going to the Rajya Sabha. We want his son Nishant Kumar to go to the Rajya Sabha."

The political atmosphere in Patna has turned intense as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections today. Leaders and workers of the Janata Dal (United) have started gathering ouside the CM residence in Patna.