New Delhi, Sep 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to former Union minister Arun Jaitley, who passed away last month, saying his life "inspires us to work harder for the nation".

Describing Jaitley as a "very close friend", Modi said he was a "stalwart blessed with so much talent".

"He was a multi-faceted personality. I miss his presence," Modi said at a 'Shradhanjali Sabha' held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.

"Jaitley ji had health ailments but if one spoke to him, he was more concerned about the nation. Serving the nation energised him," he said.

Modi said whatever work Jaitley got, he added tremendous value to that.

"We will all remember so many memories with Arun ji. His life inspires us to work harder for the nation," the prime minister said.



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Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on Thursday, according to JD(U) leaders.

Kumar may file his nomination papers at the state assembly around 11 am, they said.

BJP president Nitin Nabin will also file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the time of filing of the nomination papers.

State minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary had confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar was considering entering the Rajya Sabha, which would bring to an end his tenure as the longest-serving chief minister of the state.

With Kumar likely to step down after leading the ruling NDA to a landslide victory in the 2025 assembly elections, a BJP leader is expected to take over the top post.

If that happens, Bihar will get its first BJP chief minister -- the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not held the office so far.

However, an official announcement regarding Kumar's entry into the Upper House of Parliament is yet to be made.

Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar will go to the polls on March 16.

The elections will be held as the tenures of JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RJD's Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, and RLM's Upendra Kushwaha are ending.

As per the latest tally in the state legislature, all five seats would now go to the ruling NDA.

Before filing his nomination papers, the BJP president will visit the revered Mahavir Temple here and offer prayers.