Nitish Kumar sat on a chair without armrests alongside Union home minister Amit Shah after filing his nomination for the Rajya Sabha in Patna on Thursday.

Putting speculation to rest, Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister filed the nomination marking his exit from Bihar’s politics.

Even before Nitish headed to the state Assembly to file his nomination, JDU supporters ransacked the party office, broke furniture and cutlery.

Their only demand: to see Nitish continue as the chief minister.

Last year, Nitish took oath as chief minister for the 10th time.

“We only want to see Nitish Kumar as chief minister of Bihar,” said Rajeev Ranjan Patel, JDU leader. “We are against him going to the Rajya Sabha. Instead his son Nishant Kumar can go to the Rajya Sabha.”

With Nitish’s exit, the BJP becomes the single largest party in the 243-member state Assembly, and is likely to put one of its own as chief minister, a move resented by the JDU supporters.

“From the time of the election (state Assembly polls held in 2025) we have been saying that BJP will not allow Nitish Kumar to remain CM. This has been proved correct today,” said RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. “This change of power goes against the mandate. When Nitish Kumar quit our alliance (the Mahagathbandhan, which also includes the Congress and the Left parties in Bihar), we had said BJP will devour JDU. The BJP has completely finished the JDU.”

Angry supporters chased away JDU legislators who had come during the day to meet Nitish, raising slogans against the BJP.

“BJP hosh mein aao, BJP hosh mein aao (BJP come back to your senses),” the JDU supporters said, while raising slogans against the senior functionaries of its own party.

“Our sympathies are with Nitish Kumar. We didn’t make any personal attacks against him during the poll campaign. We just said, the groom’s image is that of Nitish Kumar, but the marriage will be held with someone else. BJP will not allow any SC, ST or OBC leader to be at the top spot. They will select a leader from the backward classes who acts as their proxy,” said Tejashwi.

The Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the “elevation” of Nitish Kumar was a conspiracy hatched by the big two in the BJP.

“Through this conspiracy the G2 have captured power in the state. This is a betrayal of the people’s mandate,” Ramesh said.