NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who currently heads the state government with support of the BJP, is likely to head to the Rajya Sabha, JDU sources told news agency ANI.The confirmation from the JDU sources was in sharp contrast to earlier reported claims that Nitish Kumar had given the nod to his son Nishant Kumar to contest the Upper House polls.As the development unfolds, senior leader and Bihar minister Vijay Chaudhary reached the residence of JDU national working president Sanjay Jha in Patna. Nitish Kumar’s close aide, JDU MLC Sanjay Gandhi, was present in the meeting.Union Minister and JDU leader Ram Nath Thakur also reached the residence of Sanjay Jha.However, Union minister Giriraj Singh dismissed speculation that Nitish Kumar may step down and move to the Rajya Sabha.“Such jokes are common on Holi. Nitish Kumar ji is our chief minister,” Singh said.Meanwhile, Sanjay Gandhi told news agency ANI that the decision on whether Nitish Kumar would enter the Rajya Sabha rests solely with the chief minister.“The chief minister will himself decide (whether he wants to go to the Rajya Sabha or not)… We had a meeting to strengthen the organisation in view of the polls,” he said.The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill 37 seats across 10 states, as the terms of the current members end in April 2026, according to a press note.The seats are set to fall vacant as the terms of members elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana conclude next month.As per the schedule, the notification will be issued on February 26, marking the start of the election process. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny will take place on March 6. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 9.Polling will be held on March 16, with the counting of votes scheduled for 5 pm the same day.
