End of Lalu-Nitish era in Bihar: BJP poised to conquer final frontier in Hindi heartland

New Delhi: The BJP is on the verge of achieving a historic first in Bihar. After a long wait – first in the Lalu era and then in the Nitish era in Bihar – the saffron party is all set to get the state’s first chief minister. This is the person in charge of JD(U) Nitish KumarThe “voluntary decision” to return to state politics marks the biggest political transition in the state in recent years. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who led the NDA alliance to a resounding victory in the assembly elections four months ago, today filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha, paving the way for a changing of the guard in the state.Announcing his decision on“Nitish Kumar’s move marks the end of an era in Bihar politics. But is this surprising? The answer is “no”. The transition was widely anticipated, especially after the Bharatiya Janata Party overtook the United Democratic Party to become the largest party in the ruling coalition for the second consecutive time.In the 2025 Assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 89 seats with 20.45% of the vote, while the JD(U) won 85 seats with 19.61% of the vote. The BJP, however, made no offer for the top job and Nitish Kumar was sworn in as chief minister for a record tenth time. But with the saffron party gaining a majority of seats in the new council of ministers, Nitish Kumar has for the first time been forced to abandon the most important domestic matters and the dominance of the BJP in decision-making has become apparent. The swearing-in ceremony of Nitish Kumar was more like a display of the strength of the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister attended Amit Shah Apart from the chief ministers of several states ruled by the BJP, there are also some of their cabinet colleagues.In fact, six years ago in 2020, the BJP could have captured the top job in Bihar. At that time, the BJP won 74 seats with a vote share of 19.46%. That’s almost double what Nitish Kumar’s party won: 43 parliamentary seats with 15.39% of the vote. However, the BJP decided to fulfill its pre-poll promise to appoint Nitish Kumar as chief minister if the alliance wins the election. The BJP may have had no choice then as the Lalu Prasad-led RJD had already won 75 seats and was happy to support Nitish Kumar keeping the BJP out of the equation. Therefore, Nitish Kumar continues to be the chief minister. However, the power dynamics within the NDA in Bihar have changed as the BJP emerged as a senior ally in the alliance for the first time. It has been a long wait for the BJP to land its first chief minister in Bihar. This is the only Hindi heartland state where the party does not have a top post so far. The BJP and JD(U) first came together in the state in 2005. From 2005 to 2015, the JD(U), under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, was the dominant partner in the alliance. Even in terms of numbers, the UDP has always been ahead of the BJP – forcing the saffron party to take second place in the state coalition government. Nitish Kumar’s dominance in national politics is so great that the BJP was forced to welcome him back with open arms twice after the JD(U) quit the NDA and joined hands with the rival Mahagathbandhan. It is against this backdrop that the turn of events in Bihar is significant for the BJP. Its rivals were quick to compare Maharashtra to the saffron party, attacking it for forcing Nitish Kumar into submission. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the BJP has always been against Dalits and OBCs and with Kumar leaving the chief minister’s post, the party will try to implement its agenda in the socialist stronghold.“BJP has done Maharashtra in Bihar. We have said from the beginning that the BJP will not let Nitish Kumar continue as chief minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development goes against the people’s mandate and amounts to a betrayal of the people,” he said.“What the Indian National Congress often said during its campaign in Bihar has now become a reality,” said Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary for communications.Ramesh said onThe next big challenge for the BJP will be keeping caste in mind while deciding the next state chief minister. The names of some serious contenders – Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Union Minister Nityanand Rai – are already doing the rounds. But given the track record of the BJP, these biggies will be keeping their fingers crossed. It rarely chooses well-known figures to lead the government, instead always surprisingly choosing unknown leaders as chief ministers.