Nitish Kumar Resigns From Bihar Legislative Council, BJP To Lead New Government

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar formally resigned from the Bihar Legislative Council on Monday, March 30, submitting his resignation to Council Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh — a constitutional requirement triggered by his election to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, which mandated he vacate his state legislative membership within 14 days.

The resignation marks the end of Nitish Kumar's current tenure as Bihar Chief Minister as he transitions to a central political role in the Rajya Sabha. BJP National President Nitin Nabin simultaneously resigned as MLA from Patna's Bankipur constituency ahead of his own Rajya Sabha innings, issuing an emotional farewell to constituents and party workers, and recalling his political journey since his father's death in 2006.

With Kumar's departure, Bihar is set for a BJP-led government, given the party's position as the largest partner in the NDA alliance. Several names are in active contention for the Chief Minister's post. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, who won the Tarapur seat by a massive margin of 45,843 votes, is considered a strong frontrunner. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, current Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Digha MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia — who won by nearly 59,000 votes — Jhanjharpur MLA Nitish Mishra, and former Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal are also among the names being discussed.

Political circles are abuzz with speculation that Nishant Kumar — Nitish Kumar's son, who formally joined the JDU last week — could be appointed Deputy Chief Minister from the JDU quota in the new government. No official announcement has been made, and a meeting of senior NDA leaders is expected shortly to finalise the succession.

Nabin's resignation from Bankipur has also set in motion the process for a by-election in the constituency.