Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday issued a statement hours after he submitted his resignation to Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain.
Taking to X, Kumar, in a long message, said, “We have done a lot of work for the people of Bihar. For so many days, we have continuously served the people. We had decided that we would now leave the post of Chief Minister, and therefore, after today’s cabinet meeting, we met the honorable Governor and submitted our resignation to him. Now the new government will look after the work here. The new government will have my full cooperation and guidance.”
Rule of law prevailed under NDA: Nitish Kumar
Kumar also recalled the first time the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was formed in the state. He noted, “On 24 November 2005, the NDA government was formed in the state for the first time. Since then, the rule of law has prevailed in the state, and we have been continuously engaged in development work. The government has worked for the development of all sections of society from the very beginning—whether Hindus, Muslims, upper castes, backward classes, extremely backward classes, Dalits, or Mahadalits—work has been done for everyone.”
He went on to say that the NDA government ensured that development work was carried out across sectors, including education, health, roads, electricity, and agriculture. The NDA government also ensured that development work has been carried out for both women and youth in the state, Kumar noted.
Nitish Kumar submits resignation
After shaping Bihar’s political landscape for nearly two decades, Kumar resigned as Chief Minister today, hours after he dissolved his Cabinet. The state’s longest-serving CM arrived at Lok Bhavan in Patna to submit his resignation to Governor Syed Ata Hasnain. Notably, Kumar had taken the oath as a Member of the Rajya Sabha on 10 April.
The dissolution of the state cabinet took place after a final cabinet meeting at the Old Secretariat in Patna, where Kumar informed his ministerial colleagues of his decision to resign, a constitutional formality mandated before a chief minister can resign formally.
BJP to elect new Legislature leader
Following Kumar’s resignation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the single largest party in the state, since it holds 89 seats out of the 243 seats. The BJP is poised to lead the NDA in the state, and a legislature party meeting was scheduled for 2 pm at the party office.
Which BJP leader will replace Kumar?
As Kumar’s resignation brings the curtain down on his nearly two-decade journey as Bihar’s Chief Minister, a BJP leader is likely to replace him, making it the first time that the BJP has a chief minister in the state.
As per reports, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Union Minister Nityanand Rai, and Bihar minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal have emerged as leading contenders for the chief minister’s post.
Choudhary is among the BJP’s most senior leaders in Bihar. He has previously served as the state’s Panchayati Raj Minister and later handled the home affairs portfolio, including during his current tenure as deputy chief minister.
Jaiswal, a three-time member of the legislative council, has also held the position of Bihar BJP president. Meanwhile, Digha MLA Sanjiv Chaurasiya is also being discussed as a potential candidate.
Rai is currently serving as Minister of State for Home Affairs at the Centre. Before this role, he was the Bihar BJP president and was elected four times as an MLA from Hajipur.
However, reports suggest that the BJP could bring a lesser-known candidate in Bihar, a move that is not uncommon for the party.
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