Nitish Kumar pushes for Bihar's special category status at key JDU meet

The demand for Bihar's special category status is crucial now as BJP relies on support from JD(U), which has 12 seats in the new Lok Sabha, to stay in power at the Centre

In a high-stakes national executive meeting held in Delhi, Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) party supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a decisive push for special category status for Bihar, reported India Today, citing sources.

This demand, emerging within the party, underscores a pivotal moment as Kumar's JD(U), with its 12 seats in the newly-elected Lok Sabha, holds substantial influence over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, reliant on JD(U)'s support, finds itself in a delicate position. 

With Kumar chairing the meeting, significant resolutions were adopted.

The meeting also saw attendance of all party MPs, including Union ministers and senior JD(U) leaders, marking a unified front.

A notable highlight of the meeting was the election of Sanjay Jha, the party's Rajya Sabha MP, as JD(U) working president. 

Reiterating Bihar's long-standing special category status demand

The call for special category status for Bihar, a demand deeply rooted in the state's quest for economic upliftment, was prominently reiterated, sources told India Today.

JD(U) insiders revealed that the political proposal presented during the meeting emphasised the need for this status, along with a potential special financial package.

This comes on the heels of a resolution passed by the Bihar Cabinet last year.

Reservation policy in the spotlight

The JD(U) also urged the Centre to increase reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

This plea follows the Patna High Court's decision to set aside the Bihar government's move to allocate 65 per cent quota to backward classes, based on the state's first-ever caste survey.

Firm leadership and future elections

The national executive expressed unwavering confidence in Nitish Kumar's leadership as Bihar heads towards its 243-member legislative Assembly elections in October 2025.

Additionally, the party outlined its ambitions for the 2024 Jharkhand elections, signalling its readiness for robust electoral contests.
 

The meeting also focused on maintaining effective communication between ministers and party workers. This is to ensure grassroots-level dissemination of information about government programmes. 

Celebrating electoral success

The leaders congratulated Nitish Kumar for the party's success in the recent Lok Sabha elections and also to Prime Minister Modi for the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA’s) overall victory.

The JD(U) national executive meeting marked a critical juncture in the party's efforts to fortify its organisational structure with a keen focus on Bihar's development and enhancing its national footprint.