Nitish Kumar to take Rajya Sabha oath in Delhi, new Bihar govt in sight
Nitish Kumar to take Rajya Sabha oath in Delhi, new Bihar govt in sight
Kumar set to be sworn in as Rajya Sabha MP in Delhi, with a plan to move into a Type-8 bungalow as Bihar prepares for a new chief minister after the Khadmas period.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar arrived in Delhi on Thursday to take oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on Friday. He is expected to return to Patna that very evening and resign as chief minister soon after — paving the way for the naming of the new chief minister and formation of the new government, both of which are expected on April 14 or 15. Kumar is likely to be allotted a high-security Type-8 government bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, with renovation work already underway at three houses in the Sunehri Bagh area, according to senior leaders of the JD(U). One of these bungalows will be allotted to Nitish Kumar. Until then, he will continue to stay at the Bihar chief minister’s official residence in New Delhi. The move is part of the formal transition arrangements following Kumar’s increased political engagement in the national capital. Compared to the sprawling 6-acre Anne Marg residence in Patna — the official residence of the Bihar chief minister — Kumar’s new accommodation in Delhi is relatively compact. Type-8 bungalows, among the most expansive government residences in the capital, are typically spread over nearly three acres. In Patna, Kumar’s successor, the new CM and the new Bihar government, are likely to be named and take shape soon after the end of Khadmas — a spell of days considered inauspicious — on April 13. A senior JD(U) functionary said that three Type-8 bungalows have been identified for Kumar, and refurbishment work is currently in progress. The process to form the next Bihar government will “start from April 14.”
