Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has denied a Rajya Sabha ticket to his party colleague and Union steel minister R.C.P. Singh.

If Singh is not given an extension for six months or Nitish’s new Rajya Sabha nominee does not take Singh’s place in the Union cabinet, it will mean the Janata Dal United (JDU) has chosen to quit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ministry.

Nitish’s JDU and ally BJP have been bickering with each other, and the chief minister has been drifting close to the Opposition RJD.

The denial of ticket leaves steel minister Singh with little option but to resign. Technically, he can continue for six more months if the Prime Minister wants him to, risking a break-up with Nitish.

Nitish gave the Upper House ticket to JDU Jharkhand unit president Khiru Mahto, who belongs to the same Kurmi caste as Singh.