Ex-IAS officer Manish Kumar Verma joins Nitish Kumar’s JD (U)

PATNA: Manish Kumar Verma, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who was a key aide of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday joined the state’s ruling Janata Dal (United) in the presence of senior party leaders including the working president Sanjay Jha.

Verma, a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, came to Bihar on an inter-cadre deputation in 2012 and never went back. After serving as district magistrate of Patna and Purnea districts, Verma was handpicked by Nitish Kumar to join the chief minister’s office in 2017 as additional advisor to the chief minister. He continued till 2021 when he resigned from service after the Centre declined to extend

Verma was subsequently appointed as a member of the Bihar state disaster management authority.

Verma, like former IAS officer Ramchandra Prasad Singh alias RCP Singh also comes from Nitish Kumar’s home district Nalanda. Verma also belongs to the Kurmi community.

The former bureaucrat’s induction into the party has sparked buzz that he could soon be given an important organisational post ahead of the assembly elections due next year. At one time, RCP Singh, who resigned from JD-U and joined the BJP, was seen as Nitish Kumar’s potential successor.

Speaking at the event to induct Verma, Sanjay Jha said: “Our party is seriously thinking in terms of expanding its base beyond Bihar. We are sure that Verma’s rich administrative experience will be of great use to the JD(U).”

Verma showered praise on the chief minister, saying Kumar had an “extraordinary persona”, was an epitome of “true socialism” and stood out for delivering on promises, “a rarity among politicians”.

“I am grateful to Nitish Kumar ji that despite being an officer on deputation, he gave me crucial assignments. I served as Patna DM and headed the state’s power companies. In 2021, my deputation period ended and I was required to go back to my cadre. But I chose to stay in Bihar and serve my motherland,” said Verma.