Patna: Senior JD(U) leader and state parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Sunday said the next chief minister of Bihar would be from the BJP, indicating a major shift in the NDA power structure ahead of Nitish Kumar’s expected resignation.His remarks came hours before Kumar convened a cabinet meeting on April 14. Scheduled for 11am on Tuesday, it is expected to be the last meeting of the current council of ministers. NDA sources said Kumar may step down after the meeting and submit his resignation to governor Syed Ata Hasnain at Lok Bhavan. Kumar took oath as a Rajya Sabha member on April 10, fuelling speculation about his transition to national politics.Asked about the next CM, Choudhary made it clear the decision would rest with the BJP. “It is the BJP which has to decide the name of next CM. The BJP has its own process to take a decision. After the recommendation from the BJP, the NDA legislative party will meet and ‘elect’ the leader. The person, whom all legislators of the NDA will unanimously elect the leader, would be the next CM,” he said.Underlining the BJP’s central role, the minister said, “The BJP will first elect its leader. Then, the NDA legislative party will endorse that very name.”The statement has energised the BJP camp, which now sees a strong possibility of securing the CM’s post in Bihar, one of the few Hindi heartland states where it has not held the top position despite being part of the ruling alliance for nearly two decades.Speculation over Kumar’s successor has intensified with several names doing the rounds. Among the frontrunners are Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, Bihar industries minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary. Digha MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia is also being discussed as a serious contender while assembly speaker Prem Kumar is being viewed as a possible dark horse.Caste equations are expected to play a key role in the decision. Extremely backward classes account for 36.01% of Bihar’s population, while backward classes make up 27.12%. Leaders from both categories are in contention with some considered close to the central leadership.Sources said while the BJP would take the CM’s post, the JD(U) may be accommodated with two deputy CM positions. Nishant Kumar, who recently entered active politics, is being speculated as a possible choice for one of the posts.Reacting to the developments, Purnia MP Pappu Yadav said, “Now the Bihar govt will run through ‘remote control’ from Delhi. The real decisions will be taken in Delhi. If Nitish Kumar steps down from the post, someone from the JD(U) itself should be made the CM.”Amid the political churn, a “havan” was held at Arya Samaj Mandir in Ghorasahan in East Champaran, where BJP workers prayed for Samrat Choudhary to become the next CM.
