Will Nishant Kumar become Bihar's sole Deputy Chief Minister? Speculation rages in political circles

Patna: (ABN) Speculation about a major change in Bihar politics has begun again. Discussions are gaining momentum regarding Nishant Kumar, son of Janata Dal United (JDU) president and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, being made Deputy Chief Minister in the Samrat Choudhary government. Political circles are also discussing that if a cabinet reshuffle takes place, Nishant Kumar could be appointed as the state's sole Deputy Chief Minister. Currently, in the NDA government led by Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Brijendra Prasad Yadav are Deputy Chief Ministers from the JDU quota, while Nishant Kumar is handling the responsibility of Health Minister. It is worth noting that Nishant Kumar will complete six months as a minister in the Samrat government on November 7. He had taken the oath of office as minister during the cabinet expansion on May 7, 2026, and was entrusted with the important department of Health. Earlier, there was also discussion about him becoming Deputy Chief Minister, but it is said that he had asked for some time to understand the government's work and administrative matters. Later, at the insistence of party leaders and workers, he joined the government. Looking at the political background, Nitish Kumar, who remained the axis of Bihar politics for almost two decades, had decided in March this year to shift from state politics to central politics. After being elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha, he resigned as Chief Minister in April. Subsequently, on April 15, 2026, former Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary took the oath as Chief Minister, and a new government was formed in the state. According to JDU sources, when Nitish Kumar resigned as Chief Minister, Brijendra Prasad Yadav was not keen on becoming Deputy Chief Minister in the new government. However, Nitish Kumar had convinced him to share the joint leadership of the party in the government with Vijay Kumar Choudhary for some time. During this period, the possibility of Nishant Kumar becoming Deputy Chief Minister was also under discussion, but he prioritized understanding the government's work over accepting the responsibility immediately. Now, on the occasion of completing six months, the discussion about a possible political change has intensified again. Sources associated with JDU claim that if such a change happens in the government, Nishant Kumar could be made the sole Deputy Chief Minister. In such a case, the current Deputy Chief Ministers, Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Brijendra Prasad Yadav, could step down from that post and continue their responsibilities as cabinet ministers, or they could be entrusted with new departments. However, neither JDU nor the government has made any official announcement regarding this entire development. Therefore, currently, news about Nishant Kumar being made Deputy Chief Minister is limited to political speculation and information from party sources. It will become clear in the coming days whether there will really be a major change in the Samrat Choudhary government or the current arrangement will remain intact.