Kamal Ghorui
In the state of Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become stronger than its partner party. For many years, Nitish Kumar was the Chief Minister (CM) of Bihar. Now it looks like he may step down and later join the Rajya Sabha, which is one of the two houses of India’s Parliament.
People are not very surprised about this. The BJP often chooses leaders who are not very famous across the country to become Chief Ministers in states. This has already happened in places like Haryana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
Even though Nitish Kumar may stop being CM, it might have happened earlier than many people expected. During the recent election campaign, there were signs that his current term might not last the full five years, partly because of concerns about his health.
Nitish Kumar has had a long and interesting political career. He last won a direct election to Parliament in 2004 from Nalanda. After that, he did not contest elections again but became Chief Minister and entered the Bihar Legislative Council, the upper house of the state legislature.
He stayed important in Bihar politics because he understood the state’s caste system very well. He built strong support among Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and also spoke about the problems faced by backward Muslim communities known as Pasmanda Muslims.
Today, the BJP has become the stronger partner in many states where it once depended on smaller regional parties. Its election wins in Maharashtra and Bihar show how powerful it has become.
Still, Nitish Kumar remains an important figure in Bihar politics. Because of this, the BJP may give an important government position, like Deputy Chief Minister, to his son as a sign of respect and cooperation. This shows that even if Nitish Kumar is no longer CM, he still matters in the politics of Bihar.
END OF ARTICLE
