JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar greets Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislators' meeting. (PTI Photo)Former Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar on Monday met party legislators, who authorised him to elect the party’s legislature party leader. He also said he would travel across the state to gather feedback on key NDA schemes started during his tenure.This was the first meeting of JD(U) legislators since Nitish Kumar demitted office as chief minister on April 14.Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, who is not a legislator, did not attend the meeting. However, he may seek nomination to the Bihar Legislative Council against upcoming one-third vacancies. Though the party has appointed two deputy chief ministers — Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Vijay Kumar Choudhary — neither has been chosen as the legislature party leader.JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, who attended the meeting, told reporters: “Nitish Kumar attended the meeting to perhaps tell us ‘Main hoon na’ (I’m still there). The party passed a resolution thanking him for a series of pioneering schemes launched during his tenure as CM. We also authorised him to elect our legislature party leader.”Quoting Nitish Kumar, he added: “After some time, he would move around the state along with NDA leaders to seek feedback on key schemes, including ongoing programmes under Saat Nischay-3”. He said Nitish Kumar would divide his time between Delhi and Patna and, besides his responsibility as a Rajya Sabha MP, would continue to guide the NDA government in Bihar.Asked about Nishant Kumar’s role, Neeraj Kumar said: “There are no two ways about Nishant Kumar being the consensus leader of the party after Nitish Kumar.”Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, party national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, and the two deputy chief ministers also attended the meeting.Story continues below this adThe JD(U) meeting assumes significance as the party has transferred power to ally BJP after its long dominance in state politics, and sought to address discontent over the shift within its cadre.Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Bihar JD UNitish Kumar