Nitish Kumar

Bihar CM announces ₹6 lakh aid after 8 women killed in stampede in Nalanda

At least eight women were killed in a stampede at a temple in Bihar's Nalanda district on Tuesday, Police said. The incident took place due to a heavy rush of devotees at the Shitala Mata temple on Tuesday morning, a senior officer said. Bihar Sharif Assistant Superintendent of Police Noorul Haque said, "At least eight women died in the stampede at Shitala Mata temple on Tuesday morning. Police personnel and officials of the district administration have reached the spot, and the rescue work is on." The exact cause of the stampede is not known, but there was a huge rush of devotees, said Haque, who was also present at the spot.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar resigns as MLC following Rajya Sabha election

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, is set to resign from the state legislative council on Monday, JD(U) sources said. The JD(U) president was elected to the upper House of Parliament on March 16, and according to party insiders, the 14-day period during which he has to quit as MLC ends Monday. "It is stipulated in the Constitution that you should resign within 14 days. Things will happen accordingly," Sanjay Kumar Jha, the national working president of the JD(U), had told reporters here last week. JD(U) leader and MLA Anant Kumar Singh, who met Nitish Kumar on Sunday, told media persons that the chief minister will tender his resignation as MLC on Monday. Jha, however, had parried queries on when the 75-year-old JD(U) supremo was expected to step down as chief minister.

Nitish Kumar's 20 years and Bihar's growth story: A look at his legacy

After 20 years in power, Nitish Kumar leaves behind a legacy of governance reforms and social empowerment, even as questions linger over Bihar's industrial growth

Nitish Kumar, 75, re-elected JD(U) president unopposed for fourth term

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday elected JD (U) president unopposed with no other candidate filing nomination for the party's top post. This is the fourth time Kumar, 75, has become the party chief. Already helming the party since Lalan Singh resigned from the post ahead of Lok Sabha polls in December 2023, Kumar was recently elected to Rajya Sabha. Returning officer Aneel Prasad Hegde, a former Rajya Sabha member, announced the name of Kumar, who was not present as he was participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra in Bihar. "I declare Nitish Kumar as the party's national president since no other nomination has been filed," Hegde announced and handed over the certificate of his election to JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh at the party's central office here. Asked about Kumar's absence, Jha said he is participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra. "We have come here to receive the election certificate

Nitish Kumar files nomination for JD(U) president, likely to be unopposed

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has filed his nomination for the post of JD(U) president as he prepares to return to national politics with his election to the Rajya Sabha. JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha submitted Kumar's nomination at the party's central office here on Thursday. Jha is one of the proposers for Kumar. The Bihar chief minister did not come to Delhi to file his nomination. Party sources said Kumar is set to be elected unopposed, as there is hardly any possibility of anyone else filing the nomination for the post. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the last date for filing of nomination for the post is March 22 white the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 24. The scrutiny of the documents of the candidates will be done on March 23, he said. "The counting of votes will take place on March 27 if any other candidate files a nomination. So far, only one (Nitish Kumar's) nomination has been filed," he told PTI. Kumar

Watch: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar files Rajya Sabha nomination

Bihar saw a major political development on Thursday as the sitting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha in Patna, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah present at the even

Bihar after Nitish Kumar: A key test of BJP-JD(U) equations ahead

In his absence, will the BJP become more like the JD(U)? Or will the JD(U) become more like the BJP?

As Nitish Kumar eyes Rajya Sabha seat, a look at the longest-serving CMs

Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-serving CM, does not feature among India's top five longest-serving chief ministers and currently ranks eighth with a cumulative tenure of 19 years and 199 days

As Nitish Kumar steps aside, Bihar faces an unfinished political agenda

As Nitish Kumar steps aside after two decades, Bihar faces a political transition while grappling with persistent poverty, fiscal stress and large-scale youth migration

Nitish Kumar's son Nishant joins JD(U) amid buzz over deputy CM role

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar joined the JD(U) on Sunday and said he would work to strengthen the party's organisation. Nishant, an engineering graduate who is in his 40s, was inducted into the party at its headquarters here in the presence of top leaders, including Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' and JD(U)'s national working president Sanjay Jha. After joining the party, Nishant said, "My father decided to go to the Rajya Sabha. It was his personal decision. We all respect it. We will keep working under his guidance. I will work to strengthen the organisation." Nishant claimed his father, as the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, did a lot for the state in the last twenty years. People of the state will never forget the CM's contribution to the state's development, he said. "I thank everyone. I will honour the trust you all have placed in me. The country, our state and I are proud of what my father has done in the last 20 years. I will take

'Will work to strengthen party': Nitish Kumar's son Nishant joins JD(U)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar joined the JD(U) on Sunday and said he will work to strengthen the party's organisation. Nishant, an engineering graduate who is in his 40s, was inducted into the party at its headquarters here in the presence of top leaders, including Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' and JD(U)'s national working president Sanjay Jha. After joining the party, Nishant said, "My father decided to go to Rajya Sabha, it was his personal decision. We all respect it. We will keep working under his guidance. I will work to strengthen the organisation". Nishant claimed his father, as the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, did a lot for the state in the last twenty years. "People of the state will never forget his (Nitish) contribution to the state's development," he said. Nishant received a rousing reception at the JD(U) office on his arrival. Party functionaries gathered outside the office and were seen waving party flags and beating .

Nitish's son Nishant to join JD(U) today, buzz grows over deputy CM role

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar will formally join the JD(U) on Sunday, marking a generational shift in party leadership, sources said. Nishant met party MLAs and MLCs at the residence of JD(U)'s working national president Sanjay Jha here on Friday and discussed his future strategies at length. Senior JD(U) leader Sharvan Kumar was the only Bihar minister present in the meeting. Nishant, an engineering graduate who is in his 40s, will join the JD(U) at its headquarters here in the presence of senior leaders, including Jha, party sources said. On the rare occasions that he is seen in public, Nishant has endeared himself to the people by his humility. Also, while interacting with the media, he has given glimpses of the close track he keeps of the good work done by his father. Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Nishant will be made deputy CM in the new government. A close aide of Nitish Kumar claimed on Saturday that a "unanimous" decision had been taken to

Day after Nitish filed RS nomination, JD(U) workers continue to vent spleen

JD(U) workers on Friday continued to protest the decision of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to enter the Rajya Sabha, a move seen as signalling the end of his more than two-and-a-half-decade-long stint in Bihar politics. At the JD(U) office here, situated right across the street from the BJP's state headquarters, irate party workers staged a demonstration alleging that "traitors" had hatched a "conspiracy" with the alliance partner to "get rid of" their leader, who had been an eyesore for the "powerful liquor lobby" ever since he brought prohibition. "There are some people in our party who are playing the role of Jaichand (12th-century Rajput chieftain who aided Afghan invader Muhammad Ghori). One is in the Union cabinet, and the other has come from the BJP and is lording over us now", an irate JD(U) worker alleged. The allusion was to Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, an old aide of Nitish Kumar and a former party president, and Sanjay Kumar Jha, the JD(U)'s working ...

Nitish files RS nomination; Bihar govt likely to be headed by BJP CM

Nitish Kumar filed his Rajya Sabha nomination on Thursday, signalling his exit as Bihar CM and setting off a tussle over succession as Opposition parties term the move a betrayal of the 2025 mandate

Nitish, Nitin Nabin, Pawar set to get elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Bihar's longest serving chief minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Nitin Nabin are set to enter Rajya Sabha unopposed while NCP-SP supremo and veteran politician Sharad Pawar will return to the upper house once again after they filed their nomination papers on Thursday. The leaders were among the 40 candidates who filed their papers on the last day of nomination for 37 seats that are falling vacant in 10 states, leading to a keen contest for one seat each Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. Seven seats are falling vacant in Maharashtra, six in Tamil Nadu, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four in Odisha, three in Assam and two each in Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, besides one seat in Himachal Pradesh. The scrutiny of papers will take place on Friday, and the nominations can be withdrawn till March 9. If needed, polling will be held on March 16. In Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam, assembly elections are likely to be held in April. The BJP is set to increase its tally in the Up

Huge betrayal of people's mandate: Congress on Nitish Kumar's move to RS

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announcing that he will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, the Congress on Thursday said a "leadership coup and regime change orchestrated by G2" has taken place and is a "huge betrayal" of the mandate of the people. Kumar on Thursday announced that he will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, bringing the curtain down on his tenure as the longest-serving CM of Bihar. He said the new government that will be formed in the state will have his full cooperation and guidance. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "What the Indian National Congress had been saying often during the Bihar election campaign has now come to pass." "A leadership coup and regime change orchestrated by G2 has taken place. It is, in many ways, a huge betrayal of the mandate of the people," Ramesh said on X. Earlier, Kumar, expressing gratitude to the people of the state, said, "For more than two decades, you

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar confirms Rajya Sabha bid, thanks voters for trust

Nitish Kumar confirms he will seek entry to the Rajya Sabha, saying it fulfils a long-held goal, while the question of who will replace him as Bihar chief minister remains open

BJP leader dismisses rumours of Nitish Kumar moving to RS as Holi prank

Bihar was abuzz with speculation on Wednesday over rumours that JD(U) president and the state's longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may move to the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for the BJP to take the top post while accommodating his son Nishant as deputy CM. However, senior BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh dismissed the rumour as a "Holi prank", asserting "Nitish Kumar ji is the chief minister". The filing of nomination papers for five Rajya Sabha seats in the state will close on Thursday. While the BJP has named its two candidates, including national general secretary Nitin Nabin, and confirmed a second consecutive term for junior NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha, the JD(U) is yet to officially announce its nominees. The rumours of Kumar, who turned 75 earlier this month, being one of the candidates of JD(U), surfaced a day after the party had announced that his son Nishant would be making a belated entry into politics. Earlier, there were speculations that the reclus

Bihar MFI Bill unlikely to hit RBI-regulated lenders, say experts

Shares of microfinance focused lenders saw sharp drop on Friday

Bihar CM transfers ₹10k each to 2.5 mn women under Mahila Rojgar Yojana

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday transferred Rs 10,000 each to the bank accounts of 25 lakh women under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana', which aims to promote women's empowerment through self-employment and livelihood opportunities. Kumar disbursed a total amount of Rs 2,500 crore through direct benefit transfer (DBT) at a function held here at his official residence, 1 Anne Marg, officials in the CMO said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched Bihar's 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana' in September, 2025. Around 1.81 crore women have so far received Rs 10,000 each, and those who have utilised the sum for setting up a business will soon get another Rs 2 lakh, the officials said. The chief minister had recently announced that the Bihar government initiated the process of providing additional financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh to select beneficiaries under the scheme.