Is Nitish Kumar stepping down as Bihar CM? Here’s what we all know forward of Rajya Sabha polls

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to quit and enter the Rajya Sabha, multiple media reports suggested on 4 March.

A crucial meeting of the Janata Dal (United) is underway, with top leaders, including Sanjay Jha and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, in attendance, Hindustan Times reported.

Nitish’s Rajya Sabha speculation comes shortly after reports that his son, Nishant Kumar, is likely to be fielded for the Rajya Sabha on a JD(U) ticket, marking a formal entry into politics.

A report in NDTV, however, said Nishant Kumar would take over as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, and that the next Chief Minister would be from the BJP.

Elections to five Rajya Sabha seats are due in Bihar. While the JD(U) holds two of these Rajya Sabha seats, the BJP is expected to contest on two seats. BJP has nominated its national president Nitin Nabin from Bihar.

The election process has already begun, with notifications issued on 26 February. The last date for filing nominations is 5 March, while scrutiny will be conducted on 6 March. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until 9 March. So we may know officially what happens next in Bihar on 5 March, whether Nitish Kumar files nomination for Rajya Sabha or not.

BJP single-largest party

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a landslide victory, securing 202 of the 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections, defeating the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan (MGB), which secured just 35 seats. Incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar took the oath for a record tenth time. Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha took the oath as the deputy chief ministers for the second consecutive time.

For the first time, the BJP became the single-largest party in the Bihar assembly with 89 seats, followed by the JD (U) with 85 seats.

Kumar, 75, has been Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister, having taken oath a record 10 times. He has been in the CM’s post since 2015, except for the brief period when Jitan Ram Manjhi – his close aide at the time -was the Chief Minister. Manjhi is now a minister at the Centre