NEW DELHI/PATNA: After dominating Bihar’s political landscape for nearly two decades and taking oath as chief minister a record 10 times, Nitish Kumar now appears set for a transition to the Rajya Sabha — a move that could mark the closing chapter of an extraordinary state-level career.A disciple of socialist stalwart Ram Manohar Lohia, Nitish cut his political teeth in the JP movement and was among the young leaders jailed during the Emergency. He was first elected MLA in 1985 — the last time he contested an assembly election. Since then, he has functioned either as an MLC or a Member of Parliament.

He entered the Lok Sabha from Barh in 1989 and represented the constituency for 15 years. In 1999, he served as railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government before becoming Bihar chief minister for the first time in 2000.What followed was a remarkable run: nine more stints as CM, navigating shifting alliances between the NDA and the RJD-Congress combine, while retaining his centrality in Bihar’s fractured politics.The 75-year-old JD(U) leader is expected to file his nomination in Patna on Thursday in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah and other senior NDA leaders. His shift to the Upper House is widely seen as paving the way for the BJP to install its own chief minister in Bihar for the first time.

Sources indicated that Nitish’s son, Nishant Kumar, is likely to formally enter politics by joining the state government. While speculation is rife that he could be accommodated as deputy chief minister, there is no official clarity yet on his role or portfolio.Alongside Nitish, four other NDA nominees — including BJP state president Nitin Nabin, Union minister Ram Nath Thakur, and RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha — are also set to file nominations.

BJP’s moment in Bihar

The BJP has played junior partner to Nitish since aligning with him in 1996 and continued backing him for the top post even in 2020 and 2025, despite emerging stronger in terms of MLAs. Party leaders cited his seniority and acceptability as key reasons.However, concerns over Nitish’s health and advancing age had sparked speculation about a transition. While the timing has come earlier than expected, NDA insiders believe it will allow the new leadership sufficient time to settle in before the next electoral cycle.Nitish’s Rajya Sabha tenure will formally begin after April 9, once the outgoing members retire, meaning he may continue as CM until then.

Frontrunners for top post

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary is widely seen as the leading contender. A prominent Kushwaha leader — the second-largest OBC community after Yadavs — Choudhary rose rapidly within BJP ranks, serving as state unit president before being appointed deputy CM and entrusted with the home portfolio.Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai is another serious contender. A seasoned organisational figure and a Yadav leader, his elevation could help BJP make deeper inroads into a community traditionally aligned with Lalu Prasad’s RJD.If BJP appoints its own CM, it would mark a symbolic milestone, placing the party at the helm across the Hindi-speaking belt, barring Himachal Pradesh.

JD(U) recalibration

Within JD(U), the leadership appears to have reconciled to a diminished role in the alliance. Signals of an impending shift were visible when Nitish ceded the home portfolio to BJP earlier this term — a first in his long tenure.Nishant’s likely induction is viewed as an attempt to energise JD(U)’s cadre and consolidate support among backward and Dalit communities amid uncertainty over the party’s future.Nitish has dominated Bihar politics since 2005, barring a brief interlude after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when he handed over charge to Jitan Ram Manjhi following JD(U)’s poor performance. Over the years, he shifted alliances — breaking with BJP, aligning with RJD, and returning to the NDA — while retaining his position as the pivot in Bihar’s fragmented political landscape.Even as the party publicly reiterated that “Nitish Kumar is the most accepted leader of Bihar,” sections within JD(U) are said to be uneasy. Some fear his move to Delhi could be interpreted as a forced exit, especially if BJP installs its own chief minister.The coming days are expected to formally mark the end of an era in Bihar politics — and the beginning of a new power equation in the state.

Winning a semifinal of a T20 World Cup on the home ground was a special moment for Suryakumar Yadav. On March 5, India defeated England by 7 runs, confirming a berth in the Final.

It was a cracking match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India went to bat first and scored 253. England, despite multiple early blows, managed to score 246 runs. All the fans at the stadium were on their toes till the final over of the match.

It’s an unbelievable feeling: Suryakumar Yadav

After the match, with a smile on his face, Mumbai-born Suryakumar Yadav said it was an unbelievable moment for him, as they are all set to play the final in front of their home crowd. The night is special for the whole team as well.

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“It’s an unbelievable feeling. Obviously, playing in India, leading such a wonderful side, and with the World Cup happening here, going to Ahmedabad to play that final. I think it’s a special feeling for all the boys”, the team India captain said.

Sanju Samson was awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant 89-run knock against 42 balls. Yadav praised Samson for the standout innings. The skipper mentioned that Sanju Samson knew that the pitch was good for batting. So, despite losing early wickets, he kept pushing on the paddle to rotate the strike as much as possible.

Yadav praised Sanju Samson for his brilliant batting

“I think he knew what he wanted to do as soon as he went in to bat. Even when a wicket fell, he knew the wicket was good, so he kept pressing the pedal. The way he batted was exactly what the team required. It was due after all the hard work he’s been putting in over the last year. It was a special knock today”, Suryakumar Yadav praised the main difference maker of the rivalry tonight.

Despite registering the historic win, Yadav was impressed with the valiant effort made by the England cricket team. He credited the England batters for their efforts. For the England cricket team, Jacob Bethell scored 105 runs under pressure.

“Oh my God! I just told Harry Brook, “How much more do we need to score against you guys?” But honestly, it was a good wicket. The way they batted, I don’t want to take credit away from them. They were always in the game and always in the chase”, he added.

Suryakumar Yadav praised the bowlers as well

Along with Sanju Samson, the leader of the Men in Blue praised his bowlers as well to restrict the opposite side from chasing the total. Yadav specially mentioned Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh in his comments after the match. Bumrah, in his 4-over spell, took the wicket of England skipper Harry Brook and offered only 33 runs.

“But the way Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and the other bowlers pulled the game back was unbelievable. We all know what he’s capable of and what he’s done for India over the years (on Jasprit Bumrah). He did the same thing again today, raised his hand, and showed character to pull the game away from them. It was a special bowling performance”, Yadav said about Bumrah and the other leading bowlers of the team.

Read More: NOT Suryakumar Yadav! Sanju Samson credits Bumrah after winning POTM vs England

Priyanka Chopra is heading to the Oscars!After taking over the Golden Globes red carpet, the actress is now gearing up to present an award at the upcoming Oscars ceremony on March 15. Reacting to the announcement, Priyanka shared the post on her handle and captioned it as, “The 2026 Academy Awards.”Chopra last presented an award at the Golden Globes, where she was joined by K-Pop superstar Lisa, who made her acting debut with the hit series ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3.

‘Iron Man’ reunion

An ‘Iron Man’ reunion may just be coming to the Oscars with Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. set to present at the show. While it remains unclear if they will share screen-space in the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, the two have been listed as presenters for the awards show. In an oficial post on their handle, the Academy executive producers revealed a new batch of presenters Thursday, including Anne Hathaway, Will Arnett and Paul Mescal.

Other stars presenting awards

They join the previously announced group of last year’s best actor winners Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison and supporting actor winners Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldana. The Oscars frequently have the previous year’s winners present Oscar trophies in the acting categories.Over the past weeks, actors including Chris Evans, Javier Bardem, Maya Rudolph, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore and Kumail Nanjiani, were also announced as presenters for the 98th annual Academy Awards.More presenters will be announced ahead of the March 15 ceremony, which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The show will air live on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.Last year’s show saw Saldana, Madison and Culkin become first-time Oscar winners. Brody won his second best actor trophy, for his role in “The Brutalist.”

Who is nominated for an Oscar this year?

‘Sinners’ is this year’s leading nominee, breaking the record for most nominations by a single film with 16.This year’s nominees for best actress are Jessie Buckley for ‘Hamnet’, Rose Byrne for ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’, Renate Reinsve for ‘Sentimental Value’, Emma Stone for ‘Bugonia’ and Kate Hudson for ‘Song Sung Blue’.The best actor nominees are Timothee Chalamet for ‘Marty Supreme’, Leonardo DiCaprio for ‘One Battle After Another’, Ethan Hawke for ‘Blue Moon’, Michael B. Jordan for ‘Sinners’ and Wagner Moura for ‘The Secret Agent’.In the supporting actor categories, the nominees are Jacob Elordi for ‘Frankenstein’, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro for ‘One Battle After Another’, Stellan Skarsgard for ‘Sentimental Value’ and Delroy Lindo for ‘Sinners’.The supporting actress nominees are Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for ‘Sentimental Value’, Amy Madigan for ‘Weapons’, Wunmi Mosaku for ‘Sinners’ and Teyana Taylor for ‘One Battle After Another’.

Who is performing at the show?

The show will feature live performances of best song nominees ‘Golden’, from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, and ‘I Lied to You’, from ‘Sinners’.

England cricket team (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has made a bold prediction ahead of the high-stakes semifinal between India national cricket team and England cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.Speaking on a Pakistani television show, Latif backed England to defeat India and progress to the final. The winner of Thursday’s clash will take on New Zealand national cricket team, who booked their place in the title clash after defeating South Africa national cricket team in the other semifinal.

Historically, India hold a slight edge over England in T20 World Cup meetings, leading the head-to-head record 3–2. Their first encounter came in the inaugural 2007 edition when India secured an 18-run win in a memorable contest. That match is best remembered for Yuvraj Singh smashing six sixes in an over.England responded two years later in the 2009 tournament, edging past India after the latter fell three runs short while chasing 154. India regained the upper hand in the 2012 edition with a dominant 90-run victory. A decade later, England produced a commanding performance to defeat India in the 2022 tournament and advance to the final. However, India turned the tables again in the 2024 T20 World Cup under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.Despite India’s favourable record, Latif believes England have the edge this time.“England will win the semifinals,” said Latif.“They are coming from difficult conditions, and 2-3 batters have succeeded. That’s what they need and their middle order is strong,” he said.“England know these conditions very well. Even if just one England player performs, that will be enough for India to lose,” he further added.England’s journey to the semifinals has been marked by resilience. They have had to recover from challenging situations in multiple matches, including tight contests against Nepal and Pakistan where they showed composure under pressure. The team also secured a crucial win over New Zealand in the Super 8 stage and remain unbeaten in the competition.Looking ahead to the semifinal, England captain Harry Brook emphasised the value of winning close matches in a global tournament.“We’ve won tight games, which in World Cups prove to be very important, and we’ve got a lot of confidence going into the deeper parts of the game,” Brook said.“We’ve won games, which we probably shouldn’t have won, and it just feels like we’ve never really been out of any game so far, which holds you in good stead in these world competitions.”Squads:India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington SundarEngland: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Ben Duckett, Luke Wood, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton

Navi Mumbai: Following the massive fire breakout at Belapur Hills on Wednesday night, which has occurred repeatedly in the previous years, the CMO has taken cognizance of the incident. Activists appealed to CM Fadnavis, seeking a high-level probe into the recurring breakouts atop the Hills. The CMO alerted the Urban Development Department (UDD) and the forest and environment departments, seeking action on the issue.BN Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, said, “The CMO forwarded our complaint to the principal secretary of UDD, the additional chief secretary of forests, and the secretary of the environment and climate change department of the state. We appreciate the prompt action by the CMO.” He continues, “Hopefully, this will be an eye-opener for officials who were turning a blind eye to the Belapur Hills crisis despite repeated complaints.“Environmental groups for years raised alarm over alleged encroachments, illegal construction, and destruction of vegetation on the hills. The loss of green cover, they warn, weakens the natural binding provided by tree roots and increases the risk of landslides during the monsoon. “With large-scale construction and clearing of vegetation already destabilising the slopes, recurring forest fires only worsen the danger,” Krishnan Potti, an environmental activist, said. Activists said the Belapur Hills issue now demands coordinated action from multiple departments to protect the fragile ecosystem, prevent further encroachments, and ensure that recurring fires do not become a pretext for irreversible damage to one of Navi Mumbai’s few remaining natural hill landscapes. Pravin Bodakhe, chief fire officer of Panvel, said, “As there is no access road to reach the spot where the fire breaks out on the Belapur Hills slope, our fire-fighting team managed to douse the fire by reaching the Phanaswadi Adivasi hamlet.“Sanjay Joshi, senior inspector of Kharghar, said, “We installed warning signboards at the entrance near Pandavkada waterfall and the roads leading towards the hills, prohibiting citizens from entering late in the evening. Now, cops will be deployed at the entrance to the hills.”

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