Nitish Kumar Resignation Update: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to resign from the state legislative council today, March 30. This comes weeks after his election to the Rajya Sabha.
The resignation would also mark the Janata Dal (United) stepping down as chief minister of Bihar, marking the end of his two-decade tenure in one of India’s most politically important states.
Nitish Kumar is not a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) but a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). One has to be a member of either house to be the Chief Minister.
Nitish cannot be a member of the state council and parliament at the same time as per the rules.
The race to be the next Bihar CM
Kumar’s return to national politics through the Rajya Sabha could also pave the way for the BJP to have a bigger say in the Bihar government and perhaps even stake a claim to the CM seat. The pioneer is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
However, several JD(U) leaders said that Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, who has recently entered active politics, is expected to succeed his father, according to reports. They claimed that Nishant Kumar has all the qualities needed to become the Chief Minister.
In another development, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who was supposed to resign as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Bihar on Sunday, flew to Assam without submitting his resignation papers in Patna.
Nitin Nabin must also resign
Nabin and Nitish Kumar were elected to the Rajya Sabha on 16 March. Nabin is the MLA for the Bankipur seat and like Nitish, he cannot continue as a member of both houses – state and parliament. Under the Prohibition of Concurrent Membership Rules 1950 (under Articles 101/190 of the Constitution), Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin are required to resign as MLC and MLA within 14 days of their election to Parliament (Rajya Sabha).
BJP sources told PTI that Nabin had gone to Assam meant for polling and could have traveled to Delhi from there.
Watch live updates on resignation of Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin here
