JD(U) workers upset over Nitish's exit plan; Nishant set to join party

While Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has not yet formally stepped down from the post which he has helmed for two decades, the fact that it is a matter of time has left supporters and sympathisers in his Janata Dal (United) shocked and disappointed. They only smell a political conspiracy behind the 75-year-old veteran’s decision to go to the Rajya Sabha and are not even hesitant to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, the news that Nitish's son Nishant Kumar was set to officially join the JD(U) on Saturday (March 7) would bring themselves some relief. The decision was taken at a meeting that the outgoing chief minister called at 1, Aney Marg, his official residence in Patna, on Friday (March 6) evening. Nishant will also embark on a statewide yatra the same day as a public outreach exercise, it was told.

Also read: Why Nitish's Rajya Sabha move signals end of JP Movement era in Bihar

While many leaders in the party, including those considered close to Nitish, besides members of the parliament and chambers of Bihar’s bicameral legislature, have dealt with the matter cautiously, defending the CM’s move either with words or silence, the grassroots supporters have only one reaction to the development — dismay.

Mood on ground not good, concede top leaders

Sanjay Singh, a senior leader and member of the Bihar Legislative Council, conceded that the mood among the general workers was not a favourable one. While they are still in disbelief, they also sense conspiracy, he told The Federal.

On Friday (March 6), a day after Nitish submitted his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled 10 days later, JD(U) workers put up posters outside the party’s headquarters and other places in Patna, appealing to the outgoing chief minister to reconsider his decision.

The posters read: “Kare apne nirnaye par poornvichar (reconsider your decision).”

Mentioning that they were put up by Nitish Sevak Evam Samast JD-U Parivar (servants of Nitish Kumar and the entire JD(U) family), the posters also warned that the party workers and supporters would not tolerate anything that violated the popular mandate and self-respect.

JD(U) protested the day Nitish filed nomination

On Thursday (March 5) too, Patna witnessed violent protests as JD(U) workers staged demonstrations inside and outside the party office and even vandalised it, tore posters and threatened self-immolation. They also shouted slogans against some top JD(U) leaders, such as Sanjay Jha, its working president; Union Minister Lalan Singh and state minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, accusing them of being traitors who conspired with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to send Nitish to the Upper House.

Also read: Does Nitish’s decision reflect BJP’s broader plan? | Talking Sense With Srini

All three of them, who belong to the state’s powerful upper castes, are known to be close to Nitish but allegedly have turned more pro-BJP in recent times.

Umesh Singh Kushwaha, Bihar president of the JD(U), and Sanjay Gandhi, an MLC and a Nitish confidante, faced the protesters’ wrath at the party office as they tried to pacify them.

Modi's face on posters blackened

The anger against the BJP was seen even on Friday as many JD(U) workers blackened the face of the prime minister displayed in several old posters outside the party office in Patna.

The caste angle also became prominent during the protests as many JD(U) supporters felt that the BJP, which is an upper-caste-based party, was playing politics to get rid of Nitish, widely seen as a pro-Mandal politician over the decades. They also stood outside 1, Aney Marg, the official residence of the CM in Patna and tried to stop vehicles of senior party leaders.

Venting his frustration, Satender Kumar Patel, a party worker from Patna’s Fatuha block, told The Federal that he suspected whether Nitish’s decision was his own.

“Hum kaise vishvas kar le ke yeh Nitishji ka faisla hai. Aisa kya hua ke Nitish Rajya Sabha jaane ko ready hai. Yeh eik sazish hai BJP ka (why do we believe that this decision has been taken by Nitish Kumar himself? What on earth happened that he is ready to go to Rajya Sabha? This is the BJP’s conspiracy),” he said.

Ravi Ranjan Singh, another party worker, echoed Patel’s sentiments.

'What about the slogan '25 se 30, fir se Nitish'?'

“The people's mandate was for Nitish Kumar in the last Assembly polls in November. The NDA, led by Nitishji, sought votes under the ‘25 se 30, fir Se Nitish’ (from 2025 to 2030, it’s again Nitish) slogan. Then why is Nitishji being forced to shift to Delhi from Bihar in early 2026 itself, merely three and a half months after winning with a thumping majority?” he asked.

Also read: Nitish Kumar abandons CM throne for Rajya Sabha debut: Is this his final 'somersault'?

Kamal Kumar, another party supporter, said, “We made Nitishji the CM despite getting beaten by police several times and worked hard for years to strengthen his hands, but he is being sent to the Rajya Sabha under a conspiracy. It is a part of the strategy to weaken the JD(U) and finish off its independent political identity.”

Nitish's X account run by others, say angry protesters

They are also not ready to accept that Nitish’s post on X on his next journey to the Rajya Sabha was something that he himself did. “His X account was being operated by others,” they said. According to them, the post was made as a last-minute damage control measure, keeping in mind the party supporters’ simmering anger.

The anger in the lower rung has also left those at the higher echelons rattled. Neeraj Kumar, the JD(U)’s chief spokesperson and a former state minister, told The Federal that he was forced to switch off his mobile phone on Thursday since he was unable to reply to a deluge of calls made by sad and angry supporters.

He also recalled how Maheswar Hazari, one of the senior party MLAs, became emotional in front of the media while speaking on the matter.

Pushpender Kumar, a former professor at Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Patna, said the workers were mainly concerned about the party’s future and who would lead it after Nitish departs.

Protests show Nitish is not a mass leader: Expert

He also said the protests showed that Nitish is a popular leader but not one with mass appeal. “It was not that a large number of people took to the streets across the state to protest. In the past, we saw mass response like an entire district coming to a halt over the transfer of a district magistrate or the state witnessing a massive response from the people ahead of the likely arrest of former chief minister Lalu Prasad in 1997,” he told this publication.

Also read: After sudden Rajya Sabha move, what lies ahead for Nitish, JD(U) and Bihar?

There were even repercussions beyond Bihar’s borders. Saryu Roy, a JD(U) MLA from the neighbouring Jharkhand and close ally of Nitish, said it appeared that Nitish was being sent to a shelter home.

“It is not easy to digest; some smell of conspiracy is seen behind it,” he said.

Nishant to join JD(U) on March 7

Meanwhile, Nitish called a meeting of his party MPs, MLAs and MLCs at his official residence on Friday evening where it was decided that his son Nishant would formally join the party on Saturday. The announcement was made by Neeraj in Patna after the meeting concluded.

Telling the media that it was unanimously approved by all present at the meeting that Nishant will join the party, Neeraj said, "Nishant will become active in politics after taking the membership of JD(U). He will go on a statewide yatra to reach out to the people."

The spokesperson said the proposal that Nishant would join the party found a consensus after Jha floated it during the meeting, in the presence of Nitish.

While it is still early days to know whether Nishant would be the next CM, the BJP is also waiting in the wings once Nitish leaves, and some faces in their ranks are also being seen as a likely choice for the top post.

Also read: As Bihar's liquor ban turns 10, Nitish faces pressure from allies, rivals

Among those seen in the race are the two deputy chief ministers -- Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar, Union ministers Nityanand Rai, Giriraj Singh and Bihar minister Dileep Jaiswal. But the list is not exhaustive. Political experts would also have an eye on the developments in the BJP camp and who the party’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Modi, backs.