In a surprising feat, Nitish Kumar has resigned from his post as Chief Minister of Bihar, paving the way for a BJP candidate to take over as the Chief Minister. He filed his nomination in the Rajya Sabha due to his health, which is failing him and been a barrier to working properly as before.
Nitish Kumar resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Bihar on 5 March 2026, after he announced that he would be stepping down from his Chief Minister post and changing his path to pursue something else.
He expressed that he would be moving to national politics by filing a nomination for the Rajya Sabha and intends to serve in the Parliament, but not be active in the state politics as the CM.
Nitish Kumar expressed his gratitude towards the people of Bihar for electing him, and reminisced about years of working in Bihar's political sphere. On X he shared a post in Hindi to reach out to the people of Bihar.
He wrote, "For more than two decades, you have consistently maintained your trust and support with me, and it is through that strength that I have served Bihar and all of you with complete devotion. It is because of your trust and support that Bihar is today embracing a new dimension of development and respect. I have expressed my gratitude to you many times in the past for this. Since I began my parliamentary career, I have had a desire to become a member of both houses of the Bihar Legislature and both houses of Parliament. In this regard, I am seeking to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in this election."
"I want to assure you with complete sincerity that this relationship with you will continue in the future, and my resolve to work together to build a developed Bihar will remain intact. Any new government that is formed will have my full support and guidance." He concluded.
At this point, it is unclear whether the decision was the outcome of health issues or a part of a political strategy. Nitish Kumar has served as the CM of Bihar for the maximum number of times, and it one of the top leaders from the state. Leaders like Samrat Choudhary and Nityanand Rai may assume the unoccupied post, but an official announcement still awaits.