Political activity in Bihar is all set to intensify once the inauspicious kharmas period ends on April 14.
Will Nitish Kumar pull another rabbit out of his hat?
Key Points
- Nitish Kumar is set to resign as Bihar chief minister after April 14.
- The NDA has reportedly finalised a leadership transition.
- BJP leaders see this as a historic opportunity to lead Bihar, the only Hindi heartland state without a BJP CM.
- JD-U workers have begun openly backing Nishant Kumar, signalling internal discomfort over the BJP's takeover.
Bihar is all set to have a new chief minister after the inauspicious kharmas period ends on April 14.
As per the formula finalised by the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Nitish Kumar will be replaced as chief minister on any day after it.
Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, a senior Janata Dal-United leader who is considered to close to the state's longest serving chief minister, on Wednesday said that Nitish Kumar will fly to Delhi on April 9 and take the oath as Rajya Sabha MP on April 10.
"After that Nitishji will formally resign from the CM's post, after which the process of formation of the new government will start."
Choudhary made it clear that Nitish Kumar will indeed resign as CM, ending days of speculation over whether he will resign or not or when he will resign.
According to Choudhary, Nitish Kumar will return to Patna either on April 11 or 12 and chair the last state cabinet meeting on April 13, after which he will resign as chief minister on Tuesday, April 14.
"Once Nitishji resigns as chief minister, all NDA allies will sit together and discuss the the next CM," Choudhary said.
He hinted that the next CM will be from the BJP, which has emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly after last year's elections.
BJP to finalise Bihar CM on April 10
A senior BJP leader in Patna said that a high level meeting will be held in Delhi on April 10 to decide the Bihar CM.
BJP leaders in Patna are confident that the BJP is close to fulfilling its decades-old dream of having its own chief minister in Bihar.
It is certain that a BJP leader will replace Nitish Kumar as the next chief minister, they claimed.
Bihar is the only state in the Hindi heartland where the BJP does not have a chief minister.
Disquiet in JD-U camp
However, reports in the JD-U camp suggest that party leaders and workers are not happy that Nitish Kumar will be replaced by the BJP.
Desperate JD-U workers have been chanting 'CM Nishant Zindabad' in Nitish Kumar's presence over the last few days.
Nishant, Nitish Kumar's only child, joined the JD-U last month and has since been active in the party.
Growing buzz over Nishant Kumar as CM
On Monday at an official function, in the presence of Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary who is widely seen as the frontrunner to become the next CM, a group of JD-U workers repeatedly chanted 'Bihar CM Nishant Kumar Zindabad'.
On Sunday a group of women staged a satyagraha in Patna demanding that Nishant replace Nitish Kumar. Last week colourful posters appeared in Patna in support of Nishant replacing Nitish Kumar.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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