Patna: Bihar’s long-serving chief minister Nitish Kumar has resigned from the top post and moved to the Rajya Sabha, a development that has reportedly shocked even his close associates.
In the previous Assembly election, Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) had won 43 seats. In last year’s election, JD(U) improved its tally to 85 seats, while alliance partner BJP won 89. During the campaign, both parties projected Kumar as the chief ministerial face, even as the opposition claimed he would serve only briefly before a BJP leader took over.
That opposition claim has now come true, with BJP’s Samrat Choudhary—who was serving as deputy chief minister—becoming the new chief minister. Choudhary belongs to the Other Backward Classes and has previously been associated with RJD and JD(U) before joining the BJP in 2017.
Reports also suggest Kumar’s health was a key factor behind his decision. It is further claimed that, even before the campaign, BJP leaders—particularly Amit Shah—had conveyed that the chief minister’s post would ultimately go to the BJP, despite campaign messaging.
Questions are being raised about why senior JD(U) leaders did not oppose the move. Kumar is also said to be unwilling to take a Union government role for now and prefers to work only as a Rajya Sabha MP, while opposition parties have begun saying this marks the start of JD(U)’s decline in Bihar.
