Patna : Samrat Choudhary has been elected as the BJP legislative party leader in Bihar at the NDA meeting in Patna, paving way for him to take oath as the next chief minister of the state. Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation as chief minister on Tuesday, after dissolving his Cabinet following its last meeting today in Patna.
The next chief minister was announced today in Patna after a NDA meeting was held at 4 pm in the Central Hall of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The oath ceremony is likely to be held tomorrow. Nitish stepped down as CM after sitting in the chair for almost decades.
BJP Legislature Party was scheduled be held at 3 PM on Tuesday at the party office to elect its leader, with former MP chief minister and union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attending as the central observer.
An NDA meeting followed at 4 PM in the Central Hall of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Nitish took oath as Rajya Sabha MP
Nitish Kumar heads to Delhi after serving as Bihar CM for two decades. He took oath as Rajya Sabha MP on April 11. He had earlier resigned as MLC in Bihar Assembly on March 30, 2026.
Nitish was elected to Rajya Sabha on March 16 and as per rule, the elected member needs to resign as MLC within 14 days of election to the Upper House of the Parliament.
Bihar’s next chief minister
Samrat Choudhary was being seen as a frontrunner. The 243-member Bihar Assembly allows for a cabinet of up to 36 ministers. Reports suggest most current ministers may be retained, with only minor changes likely.
Nitish to remain a key figure in Bihar
Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is JDU’s working president as well as Rajya Sabha MP, said that Nitish Kumar will remain committed to the development of Bihar, even if he is not CM.
Jha said that the party fought the 2025-30 mandate under Nitish Kumar’s leadership with the support of the NDA, and the new government would continue his policies.
“As far as Bihar is concerned, we contested the 2025-30 election mandate under Nitish Kumar’s leadership with the support of the NDA. The Prime Minister campaigned regularly, and the new government will continue Nitish Ji’s policies and work under his guidance. Even if he is not Chief Minister, his focus remains on Bihar, travelling to Delhi only for Parliament sessions,” he said.
