Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was sworn in as a Rajya Sabha member in April this year, will not be part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways.
“The nomination of Shri Nitish Kumar, Member, Rajya Sabha to the Standing Committee on Railways has been withdrawn vide Para No. 5267 of the Lok Sabha Circular – Part II dated 04.06.2026,” a notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.
The Standing Committee on Railways, which includes members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha.
Kumar served as Railway Minister for a little over a year between July 1998 and August 1999, when he resigned in the wake of the Jaisal train disaster, and between March 2001 and May 2004. He was credited with launching initiatives such as Tatkal reservation in 2002 and online booking facilities.
Usually, former prime ministers or senior leaders like Sonia Gandhi avoid being members of parliamentary committees.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not join any committee after leaving office. Atal Bihari Vajpayee did the same after the BJP lost power in 2004.
Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi has never joined a standing committee. However, Rahul Gandhi was a member of the standing committees on Home Affairs, Human Resource Development, External Affairs and Defense before becoming Leader of the Opposition in 2024.
