Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony.
Kumar took the oath in Hindi in the presence of Union Minister JP Nadda, who is also the leader of the house, and
JDU leader and party’s working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, and BJP MP and former union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy were among those present at the oath-taking ceremony.
The swearing-in as Rajya Sabha member paves the way for the Janata Dal (United) supremo to step down as Bihar’s Chief Minister, marking the end of his two-decade-long tenure in one of India’s most politically crucial states.
The NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on 14 April.
Kumar resigned as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in Bihar today, 30 March. The Janata Dal (United) chief, a central figure of Bihar politics, was elected to the Rajya Sabha on 16 March.
Kumar’s switch to the Upper House of Parliament is historic, as he would be the first sitting chief minister to announce his decision to move to the Rajya Sabha. Before him, Chief Ministers have moved from the state to the Centre, but only after a gap.
