Not going anywhere, will monitor how govt works: Nitish to party

On Friday Nitish called a meeting of party MLAs, MLCs and MPs amid unease and resentment among a section over his decision to move to Rajya Sabha. Several leaders of the party demanded that he reconsider his decision.

The party MLAs and MPs pressed for Nishant’s induction, saying that he alone can “keep the party together”. (Express Photo)

A group of workers from Sitamarhi sat outside the CM House with messages for Nitish on postcards. One of the postcards read: “It is a betrayal of the 2025 mandate.” Another postcard said if the NDA poll slogan was “2025 se 2030, phir se Nitish” why was then “Nitish Kumar leaving them midway”.

Addressing the “emotional” JD(U) leaders and legislators, Nitish said: “I am not going anywhere, I will divide my time between Bihar and Delhi. I will continue to work for the progress of Bihar as usual. I will continue to guide the party and take stock of the government’s functioning. I will also travel to districts not covered during my recent Samriddhi Yatra.”

Party MLAs and MPs pressed for Nishant’s induction, saying he alone can “keep the party together”. After the meeting, JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told reporters: “When there was a proposal for entry of Nishant Kumar into politics, it was received with thunderous applause. Nishant Kumar will formally join the party in a couple of days.”

JD(U) minister Shravan Kumar, who has long demanded Nishant’s entry into politics, said, “As most of us were emotional and asked Nitish Kumar to reconsider his decision, he tried to comfort us by saying he would continue to be accessible to party workers. He said he had nursed a desire to represent the Rajya Sabha as well after having been a member of the Lok Sabha, Bihar Assembly and Legislative Council.”

“Finally, Nishant Kumar is joining politics. The party needs Nishant,” he said.

JD(U) MLA Vinay Choudhary said, “We did want Nishant to come to politics, but with Nitish in Bihar… We are hard pressed to convince people about Nitish Kumar’s surprising decision. People on the ground are asking us questions. But we will abide by the words of our supreme leader Nitish Kumar.”

JD(U)’s journey under Nitish

Bihar’s longest-serving CM Nitish has been the CM for 10 times, dominating state politics for more than two decades.

The Samata Party had merged with the JD (U) in 2003. The JD (U)’s electoral journey gathered momentum since October 2005 Assembly polls when Nitish became the CM in the NDA government. In the 2010 polls, of the state’s 243 seats, the JD (U) won 115 seats as compared to the BJP’s 91.

In the 2015 polls, the JD(U), which allied with the RJD and the Congress, got 71 seats as compared to the RJD’s 80. The 2020 polls saw the party’s worst performance, when it could win just 43 seats with ally BJP bagging 74 seats. In the 2025 polls, the JD (U) bounced back, getting 85 seats, but the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats.