A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, meaning the chief minister’s post will go to someone else, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav expressed his disapproval and said he wants to see the JD(U) supremo retire from the post of chief minister.
“Whoever understands politics, knows what step the BJP will take. We wanted Nitish Kumar to retire from the post of chief minister, but now he will retire as a member of the Rajya Sabha,” Yadav said while speaking to reporters on Friday, news agency ANI reported.
Before returning to the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2024 general elections, Nitish Kumar was one of the founder members of the opposition India Caucus and his supporters saw him as a potential prime ministerial candidate, given his experience and political standing. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party is also part of the All India Bloc.
Yadav’s remarks came a day after Nitish Kumar, along with BJP national president Nitin Nabin, filed his nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Thursday in Patna in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
JD(U) workers are ‘disturbed’ by Nitish Kumar’s move
It was not only the members of the India Caucus who did not warmly welcome Kumar’s move to the Rajya Sabha; Some members of Kumar’s party also expressed their discomfort.
Bihar Minister and JD(U) leader Shravan Kumar on Saturday said party workers are upset over Nitish Kumar’s decision to move to Rajya Sabha but they will support him no matter what.
“In yesterday’s meeting, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made all things clear. This is his political decision (to go to Rajya Sabha). Everyone is upset about this. But when a leader takes a political decision, it is the duty of his supporters or leaders and ministers around him to abide by the decision. All the people have decided that we will stay with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and stand by him in every decision he takes,” news agency ANI quoted Kumar as saying.
‘Nitish Kumar’s son will be Bihar’s deputy chief minister’
As Nitish Kumar prepares for his move to Parliament, the JD(U) said his son Nishant will become deputy chief minister in the new government after his father’s resignation. The announcement was made by JD(U) MLA Hari Narayan Singh, who is also a close aide of Nitish Kumar.
He also added that the decision to appoint Nishant, who is now making his political debut, as deputy chief minister was “unanimous”.
“It has also been decided that Nishant will formally join the JD(U). Since he has to become a member of the Legislative Council to hold a constitutional post, he will be elected to the Legislative Council in April when the biennial elections are scheduled for nine seats. He does not necessarily need to contest the seat which falls vacant after his father’s resignation,” Singh said while talking to a private news channel, as reported by news agency PTI.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
