Patna, March 10 The new government to be formed in Bihar will continue to operate under the guidance of Nitish Kumar even after the JD(U) president's election to the Rajya Sabha, which will require him to relinquish his position, state ministers asserted on Tuesday.
The statement came from Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a senior JD(U) leader, and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who belongs to the BJP, which is expected to contest for the CM's post once Kumar steps down.
The ministers were accompanying Kumar to the Supaul and Madhepura districts as part of the 'Samriddhi Yatra', which was launched in January and resumed after a month-long break due to the assembly session.
"Nitish Kumar is a man of strong convictions. It is impossible to change his mind once he has made a decision. However, we have agreed to his decision to move to the Rajya Sabha, on the condition that he will continue to guide the new government," the JD(U) leader told public meetings in both places.
The deputy CM, who is seen as a frontrunner for the top job, said, "Nitish Kumar has transformed Bihar, where the budget has grown from a mere Rs 6,000 crore to well over Rs 2 lakh crore. The state will always be inspired by his vision."
Kumar, who turned 75 earlier this month, has filed nomination papers for one of the five Rajya Sabha seats in the state that will go to the polls next week.
The longest-serving CM of Bihar, who incidentally, is perceived to have lost much of his earlier eloquence, did not make any explicit reference to his imminent resignation.
In his speeches at both places, Kumar, who mostly read from a pre-written text, however, did speak of good work continuing "till 2030", which was well received by the people, who had elected him for a fifth consecutive term in office less than four months ago.
Meanwhile, the opposition, which has been alleging that the JD(U) supremo is being "driven out of Bihar" by the BJP, continued to navigate the complex political landscape of the NDA.
"We would like to ask Nitish Kumar not to succumb to pressure from the BJP and refuse to step down. We will support him," RJD MLA Bhai Virendra told reporters in Patna.
Notably, Kumar has allied with the RJD on two occasions in the last decade.
In the current assembly, however, the NDA enjoys a brute majority, and the Mahagathbandhan, helmed by the RJD, is only 35-MLA-strong, making it difficult for the JD(U) to retain power while switching sides, like it has managed to do several times in the past.