New Delhi: Bihar is set for a leadership change as Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) resigned on Tuesday, paving the way for Samrat Choudhary to take charge as the next chief minister.
Choudhary was elected as the BJP legislature party leader and is expected to stake his claim to form the government at Lok Bhavan.
According to media reports, he is likely to take the oath as chief minister on April 15.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was appointed as the central observer by the BJP parliamentary board, said that Choudhary was unanimously chosen as the legislature party leader.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar, now a member of the Rajya Sabha, stepped down as chief minister. He said that the new government would take forward the work in Bihar and assured his full cooperation and guidance.
“We have done a lot of work for the people of Bihar. For so many days, we have continuously served the people. We had decided that we would now leave the post of Chief Minister, and therefore, after today’s cabinet meeting, we met the honorable Governor and submitted our resignation to him. Now the new government will look after the work here. 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 said in a lengthy post.
Choudhary, 57, is currently serving as deputy chief minister.
After being elected as the BJP legislature party leader, Choudhary expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the central leadership of the BJP for entrusting him with the responsibility of leader of the BJP Bihar Legislative Party.
In a post on X, he said: “This is not merely a position for me, but a sacred opportunity to serve the people of Bihar, to fulfill their trust and dreams. I pledge to live up to the expectations of one and all with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity.”
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, JD(U) holds 85 seats, while the BJP has a slightly higher tally.
