Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar left for Delhi on Thursday to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member a day later, with the transition of power in Bihar expected to follow on his return. He is expected to meet top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders before returning to Patna. The BJP has also called a meeting in Delhi to work out the modalities for transition and have the new chief minister by mid-April.
Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said the process to pick Kumar’s successor will commence after the inauspicious period of ‘Khadmas’ ends on April 13. “Generally, people avoid important work in the Khadmas period. After he returns, the transition process will start from April 14,” he said.
The new government is expected to include new faces, including Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar.
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A BJP leader said the transition could happen on March 15. He added that the inauguration of the new government function would be grand to demonstrate the smooth transition in Bihar in the presence of all National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders and with Kumar’s blessings. Bihar is the only Hindi-speaking state where the BJP has not yet formed a government on its own.
Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said Kumar would resign as the chief minister after his return from Delhi. “The rest of the things will follow after that as per the laid down process...Khadmas will also end. Kumar will do what he has decided and what is the Constitutional requirement,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said Kumar would resign as the chief minister after his return from Delhi. “The rest of the things will follow after that as per the laid down process...Khadmas will also end. Kumar will do what he has decided and what is the Constitutional requirement,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}A second BJP leader said the party understands the importance of the transition after Kumar’s two-decade-long rule. “That is why the BJP has kept everything under wraps.”
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary is seen among the contenders to succeed Kumar. He was the BJP state unit chief until July 2024 and was later given the number two position in the government twice. The party has had a record of springing surprises.
Former AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies director DM Diwakar said the bigger challenge for the BJP will start post-transition, as the new chief minister will succeed Kumar, who has had unmatched credentials in successfully running the coalition and the administration.
Diwakar said that the new chief minister’s actions would be compared with Kumar from day one, and there lies the challenge. “Perhaps that explains why the BJP is not hurrying in announcing the name, though it may have made up its mind in consultation with the JD(U) and other allies. The contours of the new government must be ready, but the picture would be clear only after Kumar’s resignation.”