Tryst with destiny cannot be postponed forever. It seems more so with the polity of Bihar.
Many say the outcome of 2024 parliamentary polls would have been different had Nitish Kumar stayed with the opposition.
His walking back into the arms of Modi-Shah duo on the eve of Lok Sabha polls -- wherein BJP lost sizable seats in UP - was actually seen as the single biggest failure of the opposition camp.
And most people have blamed Rahul Gandhi's hidden ambitions for the same.
"The new chief minister of Bihar will be from the BJP and the party's parliamentary board will soon decide the candidate," BJP's national spokesperson RP Singh said.
The illustrious Jai Prakash Narayan brought down Indira Gandhi. There have been likes of Karpoori Thakur.
Lalu Prasad faced a strong anti incumbency wave after 15 years in 2005.
Now Nitish Kumar - is the man of the moment. Is he Bihar's man of the year ?
He too has completed nearly 21 years in office - as 'Sushashan Babu'.
Everything may be all right between the BJP and the Nitish-led Janata Dal (U); or its too perfect.
RJD's Manoj Jha has made a tongue-in-cheek remark that a Venezuela kind of episode has resurfaced in Bihar.
In 2020, LJP's slogan for the state assembly polls was a bit curious.
“Modi tujhse bair nahi, Nitish teri khair nahi
(Modi we have no issues with you; but Nitish Kumar, your follies and lapses will not be forgiven)" .
Obviously, a question in political circles surfaced both in Patna and in Delhi - Is/Was Chirag doing it all on his own, or is/was he doing so to tacitly help BJP get its own Chief Minister in Bihar ?
Bihar is certainly a key Indian state where Hindutva politics has been hugely popular. The Modi-brand mattered too. However; only caste idiom did not help the saffron party get requisite numbers to have a Chief Minister of its own.
Even for November 2025 assembly polls; Nitish Kumar was the face of the NDA. And the 'Kurmi' leader (not a dominant caste in the state) and his image delivered it pretty well for the NDA.
“The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance,” said Nitish.
“From the very beginning of my parliamentary journey, there has been a desire in my heart to become a member of both houses of the Bihar legislature as well as both houses of Parliament," he tweeted.
Nitish Kumar’s announcement comes just within months after the BJP, along with the Janata Dal (United), swept the elections in the state and in the process bitter rivals RJD and the Congress have been further marginalised.
Bihar once a development-starved state experienced the 'Sushan' of Nitish Kumar since 2005. Most of these years, he has been an ally of the BJP' but at times he did business with Lalu Prasad's RJD as well.
Notably, even as there have been improvements in infrastructures and law and order situations under Nitish; it's a fact Bihar’s per capita income stood at Rs 32,227 rupees ($351.82) in the year ended March 2024.
This was far below the national average of Rs 106,744 ($1,165.3).
Bihar or UP ... political reporting and Dhabas make lot of sense
Bihar though is one of India’s poorest states, it wields out-sized influence in national politics with a population of about 127 million.
The state accounts for 40 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.
Nitish Kumar has actually paved the way for BJP to have a chief minister of its own at the same time; his son Nishant will make an entry politics.
There is speculation that Nishant might be named deputy CM yet there is very little clarity on his position.
Nitish Kumar holds the record of cancelling dinner for BJP national leaders after his poster figured along with Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister.
In 2013; after Modi was named BJP's chairman of election campaign committee in Goa conclave of the saffron party, Nitish Kumar had walked out of the NDA.
Notably from Bihar's political perspective; in 2014, Ram Vilas Paswan had joined the NDA despite Modi being the Prime Ministerial face of BJP and everyone knows the manner Manmohan Singh-regime and the UPA were handed over a convincing defeat.
The BJP has tasted success in many states including provinces like Tripura where it has its own Chief Minister today. Hence having a Chief Minister of its own in Bihar will be a major milestone reached.
In 2015, the BJP was handed over a shocking defeat by a powerful caste combo offered by JD(U)-RJD-Congress combine. The architects were Nitish and Lalu.
In 2020 after Bihar assembly polls, in a surprise political decision the BJP central leadership had decided to nominate two other leaders as Deputies to the state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar - Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.
Nitish Kumar's friend Sushil Modi missed the berth.
Nitish Kumar's friend Sushil Modi missed the berth.
Earlier, between 2005 and 2020, more than once when BJP was part of the alliance with JD-U led by Nitish Kumar; Sushil Modi was the deputy Chief Minister.
Actually after Sushil Modi made some controversial remarks in 2020 in favour of Nitish Kumar, it was then speculated that probably Sushil Kumar Modi would be shifted to Delhi.
The long friendship between JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi was often regarded as legendary and compared to Atal Bihari Vajpayee-L K Advani bond.
However, there has been a difference, according to observers --- that in most instances it has been Nitish Kumar who walked away with glamour and prized positions while Sushil Kumar Modi readily played second fiddle.
Of course, during the height of the debate in 2020, Sushil Kumar Modi had tweeted to say: "The BJP and the Sangh Parivar gave me so much in the political life of 40 years. I will discharge the responsibility that will be given to me. No one can take away the post of the party worker".
Much earlier; both Sushil Modi and Nitish Kumar and also Lalu Prasad had formed the famous troika of younger leaders in Bihar.
In 2020; Sushil Modi provoked the high command's unhappiness when he had tweeted in support of Nitish after demands were made from within the BJP to replace the chief minister.
In 2020 itself; a row was initially kicked off by Sanjay Paswan, who wanted Nitish Kumar to shift to Delhi.
Senior BJP leader Dr C.P. Thakur, a Bhumihar, also countered Sushil Modi and had said - “The decision to ally or not to ally or who will be the CM face is to be decided by our central leadership".
On March 5, 2026 -- one can also safely conclude that Nitish Kumar's exit in effect sends a powerful message that Modi's grip in India's politics has been boosted further.
ends
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