Months after a massive win for Nitish Kumar and the NDA coalition in the assembly polls, Bihar is now headed for another political twist. The 10-time chief minister of Bihar will file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
With his nomination, the chief minister’s seat will be vacated, and two names have emerged as the key contenders for the top post.
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People familiar with the matter have told HT that Samrat Choudhary and Nityanand Rai are the likely contenders for the chief minister’s seat.
Who will be next Bihar CM? Key names emerge
Samrat Choudhary, who is also one of the deputy chief ministers in the state, is expected to be elevated to the top rank after Kumar’s Rajya Sabha nomination.
Choudhary has been an integral part of Bihar politics. From his tenure as a Panchayati Raj Minister to his current holding of the home affairs portfolio for the state, the BJP leader has held key posts and is currently in his second stint as deputy chief minister.
Nityanand Rai is also likely to be in the running. Rai is currently serving as the Minister of State for Home Affairs. Before his stint with the Centre, Rai served as the BJP president for Bihar and is a four-time MLA from Hajipur.
In 2015, Rai won a parliamentary ticket and served as an MP from Ujiarpur.
Nitish Kumar’s son in the fray?
While Choudhary and Rai have been poised as the key contenders, reports have claimed that Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar will be inducted into the Bihar cabinet on Thursday.
As per reports, Nishant is set to join the Janata Dal(United) today and will reportedly set to be inducted as a deputy CM.
“He will be given a bigger responsibility in the party. What responsibility he is going to get will be decided in a day or two,” an earlier HT report quoted minister Sharwan Kumar as saying. Asked if Nishant can be sent to the Rajya Sabha, Kumar said, “Anything can happen.”
Bihar minister Dilip Jaiswal, and Digha BJP MLA Sanjiv Chaurasia are also reported to be in the running for the top post, stated an Indian Express report.