Nitish Kumar to resign as Bihar CM, MLC post on April 30, timing uncertain

Patna (The Uttam Hindu): Political activity is intensifying in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may resign from the Bihar Legislative Council on April 30th, and he may step down as Chief Minister any time after April 13th, according to sources at the Chief Minister's residence.

Nitish Kumar, currently a member of the Bihar Legislative Council, already won the Rajya Sabha elections held on March 16. According to the rules, Nitish Kumar must resign from the state legislature within 14 days of being elected to Parliament. In this case, if he is no longer a member of the state assembly or legislative council, Nitish Kumar will also have to resign as Chief Minister.

Regarding Rajya Sabha membership, the Bihar Chief Minister did not utter a single word on the issue during the five-phase "Samriddhi Yatra," which concluded in Patna on March 26. During the Samriddhi Yatra, the Bihar Chief Minister addressed 32 public meetings in 32 districts, but never mentioned running for the Rajya Sabha or resigning as Chief Minister. However, he filed his nomination in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections and was elected to the Upper House for the first time.

Speaking to IANS, Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar said, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reported to be resigning on April 30. He will then take up his Rajya Sabha membership."

Regarding the rumors of Nitish Kumar's resignation from the MLC post, Bihar government minister Ashok Choudhary said, "His departure from the House will be a painful one for all of Bihar. This is his (Nitish Kumar's) decision, given the time and circumstances. We don't want him to go to Delhi, but he has made his decision based on the political circumstances. Whether he remains a member of the House or not is not the issue, but how effective the person is for the state."