Bihar education ACS S Siddharth opts VRS, likely to contest in Nawada district under JD(U)
According to sources, Tamil Nadu-native Siddharth had submitted his VRS application to the government on July 17, 2025. The final decision is yet to be made as his application is awaiting formal approval from the chief minister's office. Siddharth also holds the post of principal secretary to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
During his stint in the education department, he took several reformative steps like establishing Model Schools, teacher training and online redressal of grievances. He, however, courted some controversy for his policy for transfer of teachers and other tough policies.
"A final decision on the matter is to be taken by the Chief Minister. The 1991-batch IAS officer has cited personal reasons for opting VRS,' a source in CM secretariat said.
Another IAS officer Dinesh Kumar Rai opted VRS recently. He is likely to contest elections from Kargahar in Rohtas district on the ticket of JD(U). Rai's VRS was accepted by the state government, and a notification was issued on July 14.
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Nishant, an engineering graduate from BIT Mesra, has consistently maintained his disinterest in politics and expressed a personal inclination toward spirituality. What also makes Nishant's case particularly intriguing is that for years, Nitish has positioned himself as a leader different from Bihar's family-driven political model. Unlike his contemporaries — Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav — who openly groomed their sons as successors, Nitish Kumar never gave any such indication. Yet, as age catches up, the absence of a clear successor has begun to haunt the JD (U), making a once-unthinkable family transition appear increasingly inevitable. In Indian politics, where legacy often triumphs over merit, dynastic succession is more of a norm than an anomaly. 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