'Bihar will keep moving forward': Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar chief minister

NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar on Tuesday tendered his resignation as Bihar chief minister, days after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.In a social media post on X, Nitish said that the new government will have his "full cooperation and guidance.""We had decided that I would now leave the post of chief minister, and therefore, after today's cabinet meeting, I met the Governor and submitted my resignation to him. Now the new government will look after the work here," Nitish said."The new government will have my full cooperation and guidance. Even ahead, a lot of very good work will be done, and Bihar will advance a great deal," he added. Before stepping down, Nitish held his last cabinet meeting at the Bihar secretariat, where he recommended the dissolution of his cabinet before meeting Governor Syed Ata Hasnain.This comes days after Nitish took oath as a Rajya Sabha member, fulfilling his personal wish of serving in all four legislative bodies — the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Bihar Legislative Council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.JD(U) leaders in Bihar said on Monday that the identity of the party’s next chief minister will be known soon, as Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is expected to arrive in Patna to oversee the transition of power.Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, a former state BJP president who holds the home portfolio in the outgoing government, is being seen as a front-runner among those whose names are doing the rounds for the top post.However, BJP insiders admit that the possibility of a “surprise”, at the instance of the party’s central leadership — as recently seen in Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh — cannot be ruled out.All NDA legislators are scheduled to meet at the Central Hall of the state assembly at 4 pm. After a formal declaration of support from all constituents, the governor will be approached for the formation of a new government.In the 2025 assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a landslide victory. In the 243-member Bihar assembly, the NDA commands a strong majority with 202 seats. The BJP holds 89 seats, followed by JD(U) with 85, while allies LJP(RV), HAM and RLM make up the rest.Nitish first became chief minister in March 2000 for what turned out to be an eight-day term. He returned for a second term in November 2005 and has held the post since then — despite repeatedly changing political alignments — except between May 2014 and February 2015, when Jitan Ram Manjhi, then in the JD(U), held the position.