Rajya Sabha 2026 LIVE updates: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar files nomination papers today, ending his record tenure as longest-serving CM amid buzz of BJP taking over. Congress names 6 candidates including Abhishek Manu Singhvi; MVA picks Sharad Pawar unopposed in Maharashtra. BJP fields Nitin Nabin, Shivesh Kumar from Bihar. Follow real-time developments, seat math, and implications for NDA-INDIA dynamics.
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| Security personnel and media persons assembled outside Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's official residence. | Photo Credit: Amarnath Tewary |
The corridors of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha in Patna buzzed with a different kind of energy this morning. Security tightened, cameras rolled, and a quiet anticipation hung in the air like the pre-monsoon humidity that grips the state this time of year. At around 11:30 AM, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar – the man who's steered the ship through nine previous stints and now in his tenth – stepped out to file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha. It wasn't just paperwork; it felt like the quiet turning of a page in Bihar's turbulent political history.
Nitish Kumar, turning 75 this March, has been Bihar's chief minister longer than anyone else in its post-Independence story. From that brief, chaotic seven-day spell back in 2000 to the marathon runs since 2005, he's mastered the art of coalition survival, flipping alliances like a seasoned card player. RJD one day, BJP the next, INDIA bloc briefly, then back to NDA – each move calculated, each exit dramatic. But today, as he walked those familiar steps with JD(U) colleague Ramnath Thakur by his side (filing his own papers for re-election), the whispers were loud: this could be the end of an era in Patna.
Sources close to the JD(U) and NDA circles have been hinting for weeks that Nitish's move to the Upper House has been in the works since the 2025 assembly landslide. The NDA swept Bihar convincingly, but the power-sharing math inside the alliance has always been delicate. With Nitish heading to Delhi, the BJP – the bigger brother in the partnership – is widely expected to stake claim to the chief minister's post. Speculation swirls around a BJP face taking the helm, possibly with Nitish's son Nishant Kumar stepping in as deputy CM to keep the family legacy and JD(U) influence intact. It's a classic Bihar transition: smooth on the surface, seismic underneath.
Nitish's decision isn't just personal. It reshapes the NDA's Rajya Sabha strategy in Bihar, where five seats are up for grabs in the March 16 polls. The NDA's strength in the assembly – comfortably over the majority mark needed – positions them to sweep most, if not all. JD(U) is likely to bag two (Nitish and Ramnath Thakur), leaving the rest for BJP allies. Speaking of BJP, they dropped their bombshell earlier this week: national president Nitin Nabin as one candidate from Bihar, alongside former MLA Shivesh Kumar, a Ravidas community leader and son of ex-IAS officer Munni Lal from the Vajpayee era. Nabin's entry signals the party's intent to flex muscle nationally while consolidating in key states.
Across the country, the nomination day drama unfolded in layers. In Delhi, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) under Mallikarjun Kharge released its list of six candidates for the biennial polls. The picks reflect a mix of experience, regional balance, and loyalty:
Phulo Devi Netam from Chhattisgarh
Karamvir Singh Boudh from Haryana
Anurag Sharma from Himachal Pradesh
M. Christopher Tilak from Tamil Nadu
Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy from Telangana
Singhvi, the sharp-tongued lawyer who's been a Congress mainstay in the Rajya Sabha for years, gets another shot – his articulate defenses in the House have made him a go-to voice on legal and constitutional matters. The list shows Congress playing safe in states where it has decent numbers or alliances to lean on.
Then there's Maharashtra, where the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) finally buried its hatchet after days of backroom haggling. On Wednesday, they announced Sharad Pawar – the 85-year-old Maratha strongman – as their sole candidate. Congress stepped back from its own claim, overriding Shiv Sena (UBT)'s earlier grumblings, to back the NCP(SP) patriarch for what could be an unopposed win. Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule called it a moment of unity, saying the family was "eternally grateful." With MVA's combined MLAs hovering around 46-47, and the magic number for one seat at 37, this consensus likely seals Pawar's fresh term without a contest. BJP, meanwhile, fielded four candidates, banking on its dominance to grab the lion's share of Maharashtra's seven seats.
The bigger picture? These biennial elections for 37 seats across 10 states (Maharashtra 7, Tamil Nadu 6, Bihar and West Bengal 5 each, and others) are less about fireworks and more about arithmetic. In NDA-stronghold states like Bihar, Assam, and Odisha, the ruling combine looks set for a clean sweep. In opposition pockets like West Bengal or Himachal, things get trickier. Himachal's lone seat remains a suspense thriller – Congress CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said they'd reveal their pick only at filing time, while BJP watches closely.
Nomination day always carries that mix of ceremony and calculation. Candidates file, proposers and seconders line up (often MLAs in crisp kurtas), affidavits get scrutinized, and the real game – horse-trading, cross-voting fears, or quiet understandings – begins. In Bihar, Nitish's filing drew crowds outside the assembly; supporters chanted slogans, some waving JD(U) flags, others speculating about life after Nitish in Patna. "He's not retiring," one party worker told reporters. "He's just changing the battlefield."
For Nitish, the Rajya Sabha offers a platform to influence national policy without the daily grind of state administration. Bihar's challenges – floods, migration, caste equations – won't vanish, but the man who's navigated them for decades will watch from Delhi, perhaps mentoring his son's rise or advising on NDA strategy.
As polling day approaches on March 16, with results soon after, today's filings set the stage. Bihar loses its longest-serving CM from the hot seat; Maharashtra gives its veteran a graceful extension; Congress reinforces its bench strength. In India's endless political chessboard, every move counts – and today, a few big pieces just slid into place.
LIVE UPDATES (as of March 5, 2026, afternoon):
12:45 PM IST: Nitish Kumar completes nomination filing in Patna; Amit Shah's visit to the capital later today fuels speculation of leadership transition talks.
11:20 AM IST: Congress candidates, including Abhishek Manu Singhvi, file in respective states; party sources say focus on "strong, winnable" profiles.
10:30 AM IST: MVA leaders hail Sharad Pawar's nomination as "victory for opposition unity" in Maharashtra.
9:15 AM IST: BJP confident of winning 4+ seats in Bihar; Nitin Nabin's national profile seen as boost for party's organizational push.
Ongoing: Scrutiny of nominations begins; last date for withdrawals March 8.
The Rajya Sabha polls may not grab headlines like assembly battles, but they quietly reshape power in Delhi. Today marked one of those pivotal shifts – Bihar's era of Nitish Kumar the CM drawing to a close, even as his influence lingers.
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