End of Lalu-Nitish era in Bihar: BJP all set to conquer final frontier of Hindi heartland | India News

New Delhi: BJP is on the verge of a historic first win in Bihar. After a long wait – first through the Lalu era and then the Nitish era in Bihar – the saffron party is all set to get its first chief minister in the state. It follows the JD(U) chief Nitish KumarThe “voluntary decision” to return to national politics marks the state’s biggest political shift in recent times Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who led the NDA alliance to a landslide victory in the Assembly elections just four months ago, today filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for a change of guard in the state.Announcing his decision, Nitish Kumar in a post on X said: “For more than two decades, you have consistently reposed your trust and support in me, and it is on the strength of that trust that we have served Bihar and all of you with complete dedication. It is the strength of your trust and support that has enabled Bihar to present a new level of development today and I continue to strive to be this member as this member. This is the Rajya Sabha election.“Nitish Kumar’s move marks the end of an era in Bihar politics. But does it come as a surprise? The answer is “no”. The change was widely expected, especially after the BJP overtook the JD(U) as the largest party in the ruling coalition for the second time in a row. In the 2025 assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 89 seats with 20.45% vote share while JD(U) scored 85 with 19.61% vote share. However, the BJP did not claim the top post and Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister for a record 10th time. But the dominance of the BJP in decision-making became clear as the saffron party got a majority in the new Council of Ministers and for the first time Nitish Kumar had to relinquish the all-important home portfolio. Nitish Kumar’s swearing-in ceremony was a show of strength for the BJP. It was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah And some of their cabinet colleagues apart from the Chief Ministers of some BJP-ruled states.In fact, the BJP could have claimed the top post in Bihar six years ago in 2020. BJP then won 74 seats with 19.46% vote share. This was almost double what Nitish Kumar’s party won: 43 assembly seats with a vote share of 15.39%. However, the BJP has decided to honor its pre-poll promise of making Nitish Kumar the chief minister if the alliance wins the elections. The BJP then probably had no choice as Lalu Prasad’s RJD won 75 seats and easily supported Nitish Kumar to keep the BJP at bay. So Nitish Kumar remained as Chief Minister. However, the power dynamics within the Bihar NDA changed as the BJP became the alliance’s senior ally for the first time. It has been a long wait for the BJP to become its first Chief Minister in Bihar. It is the only Hindi heartland state where the party has yet to hold the top post. BJP and JD(U) came together in the state for the first time in 2005. From 2005 to 2015, the JD(U) was the dominant partner in the coalition led by the massive presence of Nitish Kumar. Even numerically, the JD(U) was always ahead of the BJP – forcing the saffron party to play second fiddle in the state alliance. Such was Nitish Kumar’s dominance in state politics that the BJP was twice forced to welcome him with open arms after the JD(U) left the NDA and joined hands with the rival Mahagathbandhan. It is in this context that the turn of events in Bihar is significant for the BJP. Its rivals have drawn parallels from Maharashtra in attacking the saffron party to force Nitish Kumar to capitulate. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged that the BJP has always opposed Dalits and OBCs and that the party would try to implement its agenda in the socialist stronghold if Kumar quits as chief minister.“BJP has done Maharashtra in Bihar. We have been saying since the beginning that BJP will not allow Nitish Kumar to remain the Chief Minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development is against the people’s mandate and is tantamount to betrayal,” he said.Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “What the Indian National Congress often said during the Bihar election campaign has now come true.”“There has been a leadership coup and regime change led by the G2. It is a colossal betrayal of the people’s mandate in many ways,” Ramesh told X.For the BJP, the next big challenge will be keeping caste in mind while deciding the next chief minister of the state. The names of some of the big contenders – Samrat Chowdhury who is the Deputy Chief Minister, Nityananda Rai who is the Union Minister, are already doing the rounds. But given the BJP’s track record, these big names will have their fingers crossed. It has rarely chosen prominent faces to lead the government and instead has always surprised by picking unknown leaders for the post of chief minister.