Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took oath as Rajya Sabha Member on Friday. The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha chairman C P Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The swearing‑in completes a long‑expressed ambition of the veteran leader to serve in all legislative forums — the state assembly, the legislative council, the Lok Sabha and now the Rajya Sabha.
As Kumar assumes the Rajya Sabha role, it marks the end of his rule in Bihar. The NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on April 14.
Kumar arrived in the new Delhi on Thursday and was welcomed at the airport by party leaders including JD-U's national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha. "I have arrived here to take oath," Kumar told reporters at the airport.
The leader was elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 16 along with four other candidates backed by the ruling alliance. Soon after, he was elected unopposed as the president of his party, with no rival nominations filed.
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Under constitutional provisions, he can continue as chief minister for up to six months despite becoming a Rajya Sabha member. However, resignation from the state legislature within 14 days of election to Parliament was mandatory under Article 101 of the Constitution, which bars simultaneous membership of Parliament and state legislatures.
As per election law, a by‑election will be held to fill the vacant council seat within six months of the resignation date.
The outgoing chief minister remains the longest‑serving head of government in Bihar, having led the state for two decades after a political career that began in the mid‑1980s and included a stint as a Union minister.
With Kumar assuming his Rajya Sabha role, marking the end of his rule in Bihar, the NDA is likely to elect a new chief minister of Bihar on April 14. "Bihar will have an NDA government and will certainly follow the Nitish Kumar-created 'Nitish model', as it has been running for the past 20 years," Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said.
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