The process of forming the new government in Bihar will begin soon after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the state’s longest serving chief minister, takes oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on April 10, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi said on Sunday.
Nitish Kumar, who resigned from his post as a member of the Legislative Council last week after being elected to the Rajya Sabha, will take oath on April 10, Saraogi said.
“After that, the central leadership of the BJP and NDA will elect the leader. Nitish Kumar will also be part of the process,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Read also:How Bihar’s fortunes changed during two decades of Nitish Kumar’s rule
Kumar called a state cabinet meeting on April 8, possibly the last meeting under his leadership, before he left for Delhi the next day.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance has an overwhelming majority of 202 votes in the 243-member Bihar state parliament. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the largest group in the assembly with 88 seats, while the Janata Dal United, led by Nitish Kumar, has 85 members.
Nitish Kumar’s decision to enter the Rajya Sabha signals the end of an era in the heart of the state just months after he won a landslide in the assembly polls alongside the BJP, which looks set to have its first chief minister in the state.
There has been no official news about Kumar’s successor in Patna.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Sunday played down speculation about the race for the top job. “Bihar has an NDA government, and there will continue to be a government. In the NDA, there is no elder brother or younger brother; a brother is a brother,” Sinha said, declining to comment on specific names.
“The decision will be taken when the time comes and the post becomes vacant. The process is known to everyone. Once he resigns, the process of forming a new government will begin. There is no need to rush things as Bihar will continue to have the NDA government,” he added.
