With the Bihar Assembly elections expected soon, all eyes are on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He has led the state for over 20 years—except for a short break when Jitan Ram Manjhi took charge. But this time, things are different. While Nitish is still in office, there’s growing uncertainty about whether the BJP-led NDA will go into the 2025 election under his leadership.
Nitish’s own party, the Janata Dal (United), wants him to continue. But BJP leaders haven’t said anything clearly about who their chief ministerial candidate will be. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have launched the NDA campaign in Bihar, but neither has named Nitish Kumar as their CM face.
Meanwhile, within the Bihar BJP, many leaders feel it’s time for their party to lead. They point out that the BJP has won more seats than the JDU in recent elections but still allowed Nitish to be CM. Now, they want that to change.
Adding to the uncertainty is the growing criticism Nitish is facing from the Opposition. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders like Tejashwi Yadav and Misa Bharti have questioned Nitish’s health and mental fitness to continue as CM. They referred to some of his recent awkward moments in public, including one where he was seen laughing during the national anthem. Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraj party, has also asked Nitish to step down, claiming he is unfit to lead.
But Nitish’s son, Nishant Kumar, has dismissed these claims. He has publicly said his father will return as CM and that the people of Bihar will vote for him again based on his work over the past two decades. According to Nishant, the NDA will win with a strong majority, and Nitish will continue to serve the state.
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While the JDU is hoping Nitish will continue, the BJP is quietly working on its own strategy. It is now widely expected that the BJP will contest more seats in the 2025 election. If the NDA wins, the BJP might use its position to push for a new face as chief minister.
Several names are being discussed within the BJP. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal are seen as possible CM candidates. If the BJP decides not to support Nitish for another term, they could promote one of these leaders to lead the government.
However, such a decision could lead to tension within the NDA. To manage that, the BJP might offer Nitish a Cabinet role at the national level, giving him a graceful exit from Bihar politics while maintaining alliance peace.
Adding to the pressure, NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha has also weighed in. He recently advised Nitish to hand over the leadership of the JDU to his son Nishant and focus only on running the government. In a birthday message for Nishant, Kushwaha hinted that it’s time for a new generation to lead the party. He warned that delaying this decision could damage the JDU beyond repair.
So far, Nitish has not responded to these suggestions publicly. But it’s clear that even his allies are beginning to prepare for a possible change in leadership.
As Bihar gears up for a high-stakes election, Nitish Kumar finds himself at a crossroads. He has been one of the most experienced leaders in the state, steering Bihar through alliances, breakups, and comebacks. But now, his political future may depend more on the BJP’s internal decisions than his own party’s support.
The BJP seems ready to take the lead role in Bihar. Whether that means a new CM face or a power-sharing deal remains to be seen. If the NDA wins and the BJP claims the chief minister’s post, it would mark the end of Nitish’s long and eventful reign.
On the other hand, if the JDU and BJP stick together and project a united front behind Nitish, he could still lead the NDA into the elections and possibly into another term.
Either way, the 2025 Bihar Assembly election could be a turning point—not just for Nitish Kumar, but for Bihar’s political future.
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