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Nitish Kumar's resignation date set, Bihar to get new CM after April 14
April 14 is no ordinary day on the calendar, for its political meaning and otherwise.
After weeks of political uncertainty in Bihar, a date has finally emerged: April 14. Nitish Kumar, who took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on Friday, April 10, is learnt to be resigning as Bihar Chief Minister on that day, setting the stage for the state's first BJP CM, and the end of a two-decade-long political era defined by one man.
Date loaded with significance
April 14 is no ordinary day on the calendar, for both political meanings and otherwise. It marks the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution and a towering icon of the Dalit rights movement, hence the choice of the date carries symbolism in Bihar's deeply caste-conscious landscape.
But there is another purported reason spoken in somewhat hushed tones. The period of Kharmas — a roughly one-month window considered inauspicious for major decisions as per the Hindu calendar and observed prominently across Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh — ends on April 14. No senior leader has gone on record about this, but local media outlets have underlined the convergence of the auspicious calendar date and the Ambedkar birth anniversary, as being central to why this date has been chosen.
Long career winds down
Nitish Kumar's departure from Patna's political landscape marks a historic transition, though leaders of his party Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) have said he'll stay in the state capital and travel to Delhi for Parliament sessions.
Since first becoming chief minister in 2005, Kumar has been Bihar's longest-serving CM and its most dominant political figure. By his own claim, he ended the RJD's "jungle raj" and steered the state toward development, though he went back to ally with his frenemy Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD in between.
His political journey stretches back to 1985 when he entered the Bihar assembly as an MLA, and he later served as a Union minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's BJP-led NDA regime, before beginning a long innings at Patna's 1 Anne Marg.
His move to the Rajya Sabha is itself historic. He is the first sitting chief minister to announce a shift to the Upper House of Parliament.
Though health is being seen as a reason, he has cited a desire to become a Rajya Sabha MP as the reason for his resigantion; this would give him a singular distinction of having been a member of Upper and Lower Houses in both Bihar and at the Centre.
Nitish Kumar resigned from the Bihar Legislative Council on March 30, fulfilling the legal requirement that a person elected to the Rajya Sabha must vacate their state legislature seat within 14 days.
The Constitution, however, allowed him to continue as CM for up to six months without being a member of the state legislature — buying time for the NDA to finalise his successor.
Who are the contenders?
The BJP, dominant partner in the NDA coalition but never the holder of the CM's chair in Bihar, now has its opportunity.
The party secured 89 seats in the 2025 assembly elections, making it the single-largest party in the Vidhan Sabha for the first time; while ally JD(U) won 85. The NDA swept 202 of 243 seats, further diminishing the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan.
Three names have emerged at the top of the BJP's list.
Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary is widely considered the frontrunner. A key leader of the Kushwaha community, Bihar's second-largest backward caste, his elevation would reinforce the party's OBC arithmetic. He currently holds the home affairs portfolio and is in his second stint as deputy CM.
Union minister Nityanand Rai is another strong contender. He is a four-time former MLA from Hajipur and also served as state BJP president.
Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, a three-time MLC and also a former Bihar BJP chief, rounds out the top tier for now.
The BJP, however, is known to pull out new cards, and faces, when it comes to choosing state leaderships.
There is a dynastic subplot, too. JD(U) leaders are reportedly backing Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, who recently joined the party, as a potential deputy chief minister, positioning him as the heir to his father's legacy within the alliance.
The Opposition led by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav has accused the NDA government of plunging Bihar into a limbo, and two months without a cabinet meeting.
