Nitish Kumar heads to Delhi, how JD(U) faces decisive test in Bihar

New Delhi: For more than three decades, Bihar’s politics has revolved around Jayaprakash Narayan’s disciples Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav. With Lalu out of active politics and Nitish now opting to be a member of the Lok Sabha instead of the country’s top job, Bihar appears to be entering an uncharted phase where a new face may take over as chief minister.After his overwhelming performance in the recently held Bihar Assembly elections, Nitish filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha on Thursday.The 75-year-old politician wrote onWhile many had anticipated the move amid speculation about Nitish’s deteriorating health, Nitish’s sudden announcement still surprised many who were expecting a smoother transition plan.Nitish is expected to resign as chief minister in the coming days after winning the election unopposed and entering the Lok Sabha. The Janata Dal (United Party) president’s decision not only ended the political lineage of JP Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur in Bihar but also thrust his party into uncharted waters with no clear roadmap for the future.After Nitish, who?Nitish has long been the ‘Peer-Bawarchi-Bhisti-Khar’ of his party. Despite never gaining an outright majority in the state assembly, Nitish KumarThe image of ‘Sushasan Babu’ has helped the party maintain its dominance in Bihar politics for more than two decades.However, the party never succeeded in developing a second-line command beyond Nitish. Leaders like Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh and Vijay Choudhary are all present in the party, but none has mass connect with the JD(U)’s core vote base.Furthermore, Nitish has been a staunch opponent of dynastic politics. Throughout his long political career, he never allowed his family to enter politics in any form. Unlike Lalu, who appointed his son Tejashvi Yadav as his political heir, Nitish’s son Nishant has stayed away from politics.

Amid these ongoing developments, speculation is growing that Nishant may make his political debut, with the party seeing him as a potential link with its core supporters.Senior JD(U) leader Shrawan Kumar told Press Trust of India (PTI): “It is now clear that Nishant Kumar will join active politics and this has been confirmed. The party will make a formal announcement in a day or two. Party workers have been demanding Nishant’s entry into politics for years. Now, party workers and supporters are optimistic about the decision ahead of Holi.”However, Nitish’s brother-in-law Anil Kumar accused Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh of hatching a conspiracy against the JD(U).“The workers made it clear that Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh were involved in this… If there was no conspiracy, this would not have happened… All the workers were shouting the names of Sanjay Jha and Lalan Singh,” he said. Speaking to TOI, political analyst Kumar Vijay said the future of the JD(U) looks bleak after Nitish Kumar exits the center stage of Bihar politics.

“Nitesh Kumar’s exit in this way is not a natural political transition. If it was a natural process, it would be different. Everyone said that Nitesh Kumar’s health was not good, but the turn of events was unexpected by many. On the face of it, The future of the JD(U) looks quite difficult. People say Nitesh may take over, but he has no political experience. Also, people around him are not very open, but something seems to be happening internally that is holding Nitesh back,” Vijay said.“Meanwhile, the role of leaders like Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh, Vijay Choudhary and Ashok Choudhary looks dubious. To the extent that they have abandoned Nitish Kumar, there may be no one who can hold the JD(U) together. At the worker level, protests have begun. Core JD(U) Workers feel this is the BJP’s way of handling the situation,” he added.Will there be a BJP-JD(U) merger?Kumar Vijay also believes that the JD(U) is likely to merge with its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming days, although not everyone in the party will accept such a move.“A merger between the BJP and the JD(U) is also possible in the future, although not everyone in the JD(U) will accept such a merger. Some leaders may resist. Some leaders in the party may switch to the RJD, while others may join the BJP,” Vijay told TOI.

“Earlier, JD(U) workers even voted for the BJP candidate as they believed that Nitish Kumar would eventually remain the chief minister. But now many hardcore workers may refuse to support the BJP in future,” he added.Nitish Kumar’s decision to move to the Rajya Sabha comes just five months after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the big brother in the alliance. In the 2025 parliamentary elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 89 seats with 20.45% of the vote, becoming the largest party, while the United Democratic Party won 85 seats with 19.61% of the vote.After its resounding victory, the BJP is no longer an alliance partner but a challenger trying to assert itself on the throne of power. It got a bigger share in the cabinet and Nitish Kumar had to give up domestic investments.Interestingly, Bihar is the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not had a top post so far.What will happen to Nitish Kumar’s EBC vote bank?Over time, Nitish gradually positioned himself as the “poster boy” of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), which constitutes the largest segment of Bihar’s population.The JD(U) chief has made a conscious effort to build his support base around the entire EBC community, with his politics modeled on the ideals of Karpoori Thakur, with a special focus on the economically weaker sections.After his exit, the question also arises of who will gain the advantage of the EBC vote bank.Kumar Vijay said that no political party in Bihar seems to be able to inherit the vote bank of non-Yadav OBC and EBC.

“Had Tejashwi Yadav had strong leadership credentials, this vote bank might have shifted to the RJD. But the biggest tragedy in Bihar today is the lack of strong political leadership. Congress has none, and neither has the RJD. Despite being a politically mature state, Bihar is facing a serious leadership crisis,” he said.“Upendra Kushwaha has lost credibility. Tejashwi Yadav has not emerged as a grassroots leader. The Liberty and Justice Party has also become a more dramatic political group,” he added.For Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s move to the Union House marks the end of a long political chapter surrounding him, his changing alliances and the ‘Susa Hill’ government. We will know in the coming days who will succeed him as chief minister. However, the coming months will determine how his party and state politics evolve outside of him.