Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. | Photo credit: ANI
The ruling Janata Dal (United) on Monday (March 16, 2026) announced the date for the election of its national president, the day polls were held to elect Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the Rajya Sabha, with the party chief likely to retain the post.
According to party sources, nomination papers for the election will be filed on March 22 and can be downloaded by March 24. If more than one nomination is submitted, voting will take place on March 27. Mr. Kumar currently holds the posts of both the National President of the party and the Chief Minister of Bihar. He would most likely be re-elected to the position. Sanjay Kumar Jha is currently the national working president of the party.
“Once elected to the Rajya Sabha, Nitish Kumar will have (greater) opportunities to shape the national political strategy while maintaining control over the party organisation,” a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity. “In this way, he would continue to be seen as a central figure in the party’s organizational and political leadership,” he said.
Another party leader, who also did not want to be named, said: “Mr Kumar is likely to take over as the party’s national president again. Any contest for the party’s top post is unlikely as the position has historically been decided by consensus.”
Mr. Kumar was the Chief Minister of Bihar for over two decades and also held the top organizational post of the party for several years. His name recently figured among the five NDA candidates from the state for the Rajya Sabha elections held on Monday. With the NDA having the required strength in the assembly, all the five candidates are set to win the poll. They are expected to be sworn in as members of the upper house on April 10 after the terms of the five outgoing candidates expire on April 9.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister is scheduled to launch the fourth phase of the Samriddhi Yatra from Bhagalpur and Banka districts on March 17, which will culminate on March 20 in Gaya and Aurangabad districts. During this phase of the yatra, Mr. Kumar inspected government works and projects and laid the foundation stones of several sachems. The visit will cover Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Munger, Lakhisarai, Gaya and Aurangabad districts. The third phase of the campaign, which took place on March 14, took place in Madhepura, Supaul, Katihar, Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Saharsa, Begusarai, Khagaria and Sheikhpura districts.
The first phase of the yatra was held between January 16 and January 24, starting from West Champaran district and covering East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Gopalganj, Saran, Siwan, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali. In the second leg of the campaign from January 27 to 29, Mr. Kumar visited Darbhanga, Madhubani and Samastipur districts. The jatra was temporarily suspended due to the nearly month-long budget session of the state legislature. Earlier, from December 2024 to February 2025, the Chief Minister also undertook Pragati Yatra across the state.
With the announcement of the election schedule for the party’s top post, several party leaders said Mr. Kumar’s leadership would continue to be key to maintaining stability in the organization.
Published – 16 March 2026 20:09 IST
