Nitish Kumar to Quit as Bihar CM, Eyes Rajya Sabha Seat

• Nitish Kumar announces plan to resign as Bihar Chief Minister
• JDU leader says he will contest upcoming Rajya Sabha election
• Move will make him member of all four legislative Houses
• BJP leaders like Samrat Choudhary, Nityanand Rai in CM race

GG News Bureau
Patna, 5th March: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has confirmed that he will resign from his post and contest the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha, bringing an end to his more than two-decade-long tenure at the helm of the state government.

In a post on X, Kumar said he had long aspired to become a member of all four legislative Houses — both Houses of Parliament and both Houses of the state legislature.

“For the past two decades, you have trusted and supported me, and I have served you with full dedication. It is your trust and support due to which Bihar is setting new standards in development,” he wrote.

He noted that he has already served as a member of the Lok Sabha, as well as the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, and that becoming a Rajya Sabha member would complete the set.

“Since the beginning of my parliamentary career, I had a desire in my heart to become a member of both Houses of the state legislature as well as both Houses of Parliament. That is why I want to become a Rajya Sabha MP in the upcoming election,” Kumar said.

He added that his relationship with the people of Bihar would remain unchanged and that he would continue to work for the state’s development while extending full support and guidance to the new government.

Political transition in Bihar
Kumar’s decision is expected to reshape Bihar’s political landscape, with speculation already mounting over who will succeed him as Chief Minister.

Among the frontrunners are Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Union Minister Nityanand Rai and state minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal.

Choudhary, who also holds the Home portfolio in the state government, is considered one of the most influential leaders in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rai currently serves as Minister of State for Home Affairs at the Centre and has previously led the BJP’s Bihar unit. Jaiswal is a three-time member of the Bihar Legislative Council and a former state BJP president.

Another name being discussed in political circles is Digha MLA Sanjiv Chaurasiya, though the BJP is known for making unexpected choices when selecting leadership candidates.

Completing a rare political record
Kumar’s move would place him among a small group of senior leaders who have served in all four legislative Houses. Prominent Bihar leaders such as Lalu Prasad Yadav and the late Sushil Kumar Modi have previously achieved the same distinction.

Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and several other prominent figures — including the late Ram Vilas Paswan and Sharad Yadav — began their political journeys together during the anti-Emergency movement in the 1970s.

Kumar’s transition to the Rajya Sabha is expected to mark the end of an era in Bihar politics while opening a new chapter in the state’s leadership.