Nitish Kumar to take Rajya Sabha oath today as focus shifts to Bihar government formation

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will take oath as a Rajya Sabha MP at 12:15 pm on Friday before returning to Patna the same day, even as attention turns to the next phase of government formation in the state.

Senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is poised to get its first Chief Minister in Bihar, are set to meet in New Delhi to finalise the transition plan.

Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha have already reached the national capital for discussions with the party’s central leadership, which is expected to consult key stakeholders before making a formal announcement.

Sources indicate that Kumar is likely to step down as Chief Minister on April 14, when the NDA legislative party is expected to elect its new leader. Choudhary is emerging as the frontrunner to succeed the JD(U) veteran.

Kumar had initiated his shift to national politics on March 30 by resigning from the Bihar Legislative Council. A 10-term Chief Minister, he secured a Rajya Sabha seat on March 17 alongside other National Democratic Alliance candidates.

His move comes months after leading the NDA to a decisive electoral victory in Bihar, marking a transition after over two decades at the centre of the state’s political landscape.