By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) National President Nitish Kumar has nominated Manish Kumar Verma as the new national secretary of the party. For some time, there had been speculation that Nitish Kumar would assign Verma a significant role within JD(U). Two days ago, Verma formally took primary membership of the party, further fueling discussions about his active involvement in politics before the Lok Sabha elections. There were also talks about him possibly contesting elections from Nalanda.
Manish Kumar Verma, originally from Nalanda and a close relative of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, served as an IAS officer of the Odisha cadre starting in 2000. He held various administrative positions, including sub-collector in Kalahandi, SDM in Gunpur, and Raigarh. He became the District Magistrate (DM) of Malkangiri district after five years of service and subsequently served as DM in several other districts in Odisha until 2012.
In 2012, Verma moved to Bihar on inter-state deputation, where he served as DM of Patna and as the Chief Minister’s secretary. Upon completing his deputation in March 2018, Verma chose to take voluntary retirement instead of returning to Odisha. During his time in Bihar, he also served as the DM of Purnia.
Verma’s close ties to Nitish Kumar and his administrative experience have positioned him as a key figure in the JD(U) as the party prepares for the upcoming elections.
