Nitish Kumar to resign as Bihar CM today, Samrat Chaudhary to take oath tomorrow

Bihar politics latest news: Nitish Kumar will resign today as Bihar Chief Minister and enter the Rajya Sabha. This marks the end of his long tenure as the state’s longest-serving leader. Following his resignation, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is set to take oath as the new Chief Minister tomorrow.

Today, Nitish Kumar will carry out his final official duties. He will pay tribute at the statue of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar at 10:30 am, attend his last Cabinet meeting at 11:00 am, and meet Governor Syed Ata Hasnain at Raj Bhavan at 3:00 pm to submit his resignation.

"It is a constitutional requirement. The chief minister informs his colleagues about his decision to dissolve the cabinet before meeting the governor," senior BJP leader and Bihar minister Dilip Jaiswal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

After Kumar’s resignation, the BJP Legislature Party will meet to elect its leader in the presence of observer Shivraj Singh Chouhan. At 4:00 pm, the NDA Legislature Party will endorse the new Chief Minister at the Bihar Assembly’s Central Hall and formally claim the government formation to the Governor.

The swearing-in ceremony for the new Chief Minister and Council of Ministers is scheduled for April 15 at 11:00 am at Raj Bhavan.

Nitish Kumar’s resignation marks a significant political transition in Bihar. After nearly two decades in office and following his election to the Rajya Sabha, he is stepping back from state leadership.

Other names, such as Union Minister Nityanand Rai, were also discussed in recent days. The BJP, a long-time ally, will lead Bihar with its own Chief Minister for the first time.

JD(U) leaders, however, hope that despite stepping down as chief minister, Nitish Kumar will continue to pull some strings. 

"Nitish Kumar ji will spend most of his time in Bihar. He will be in Delhi only while the Parliament session is on. The new government will be formed with his consent, and it will work under his guidance," said JD(U) leader Zama Khan, the minister for minority affairs in the outgoing state government.

He added that the party hoped that Nitish Kumar's only son, Nishant, would be considered for "an important role" in the new government. Nishant joined the JD(U) only a month ago.