<p>New Delhi: Almost a month after the announcement that Nitish Kumar will step down as the chief minister of Bihar — after two consecutive decades at the helm — the BJP is yet to decide on the name of his successor. The delay, party insiders said, is due to the lack of progress in the deliberations.</p><p>The party is holding deliberations with senior members of the RSS, party sources said, and both the entities are yet to agree on a common name. </p><p>“The RSS is looking for a non-controversial name, who can function independently of the JD(U) but does not upset them. Apart from that, the party has to put forward a candidate who fits well within the caste equations at play,” leaders of the party’s state unit said. The RSS has a significant ground presence in the state.</p><p>Some of the names doing the rounds are deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, Speaker Prem Kumar and senior party leader Sanjeev Chaurasiya. While Samrat is the party’s preferred face, there seems to be no consensus on his name. </p>.Eight women killed in stampede at Sheetla temple in Bihar's Nalanda district .<p>“Samrat is not seen as an original party leader because he came from the RJD and his political career has been marked with controversies,” a senior spokesperson of the party said. Samrat is also seen as too close to Nitish. </p><p>Both Prem Kumar and Sanjeev Chaurasiya are from the EBC community, but Prem Kumar is perceived as an educated leader, tipping the scales in his favour. It is expected that the party will name the chief minister by the first week of April, and the oath-taking ceremony is expected to take place on April 10. </p><p>As per the arrangement of change of guard, the chief minister will be from the BJP, with Nishant Kumar, Nitish’s son taking over the post of the deputy CM. There is unlikely to be another Deputy CM as the JDU does not want power sharing in the post. The JD(U) will induct 15 ministers in the Cabinet, while the Lok Janshakti Party will have two ministers. Other allies including Hindustan Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha will have one minister each. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Almost a month after the announcement that Nitish Kumar will step down as the chief minister of Bihar — after two consecutive decades at the helm — the BJP is yet to decide on the name of his successor. The delay, party insiders said, is due to the lack of progress in the deliberations.</p><p>The party is holding deliberations with senior members of the RSS, party sources said, and both the entities are yet to agree on a common name. </p><p>“The RSS is looking for a non-controversial name, who can function independently of the JD(U) but does not upset them. Apart from that, the party has to put forward a candidate who fits well within the caste equations at play,” leaders of the party’s state unit said. The RSS has a significant ground presence in the state.</p><p>Some of the names doing the rounds are deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, Speaker Prem Kumar and senior party leader Sanjeev Chaurasiya. While Samrat is the party’s preferred face, there seems to be no consensus on his name. </p>.Eight women killed in stampede at Sheetla temple in Bihar's Nalanda district .<p>“Samrat is not seen as an original party leader because he came from the RJD and his political career has been marked with controversies,” a senior spokesperson of the party said. Samrat is also seen as too close to Nitish. </p><p>Both Prem Kumar and Sanjeev Chaurasiya are from the EBC community, but Prem Kumar is perceived as an educated leader, tipping the scales in his favour. It is expected that the party will name the chief minister by the first week of April, and the oath-taking ceremony is expected to take place on April 10. </p><p>As per the arrangement of change of guard, the chief minister will be from the BJP, with Nishant Kumar, Nitish’s son taking over the post of the deputy CM. There is unlikely to be another Deputy CM as the JDU does not want power sharing in the post. The JD(U) will induct 15 ministers in the Cabinet, while the Lok Janshakti Party will have two ministers. Other allies including Hindustan Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha will have one minister each. </p>