Bihar CM race begins as Nitish Kumar resigns as MLC; Nitin Nabin steps down as MLA

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, on Monday (March 30) resigned from his membership of the Bihar Legislative Council (MLC). The resignation was submitted to Council Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh at the Chief Minister's official residence. 

The JDU president was elected to the upper House of Parliament on March 16. As per the Constitution, an individual cannot hold membership of two Houses simultaneously, which makes it mandatory for him to relinquish one position within 14 days.

Nitin Nabin resigns as Bihar MLA 

BJP national president Nitin Nabin has also stepped down as MLA from the Bankipur constituency in Bihar as he prepares to transition to the national stage as a Rajya Sabha MP. Announcing his resignation in an emotional message to constituents and party workers, Nabin framed the move not as an end, but as a continuation of public service in a larger role.

"All my family members and party worker comrades from Bankipur and Bihar," he began, recalling how his political journey was shaped by both personal loss and party faith. "After the sudden demise of my father in January 2006, the party gave me the opportunity to contest the by-election from Patna West, and on April 27, 2006, I was elected for the first time… marking the beginning of my social and political life."

Who will be the new Bihar CM?

As Nitish Kumar is all set to move to a new role, the next government in Bihar is expected to be led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the largest party in the state assembly. Meanwhile, sources close to the JD(U) chief said that his son, Nishant Kumar, who joined the party last week, is likely to be appointed as Deputy Chief Minister in the new administration. Here's list of probable CM candidates:

1. Samrat Choudhary: The Deputy CM is an MLA from the Tarapur Assembly constituency. He won the seat by defeating RJD's Arun Kumar with a margin of 45,843 votes.  
2. Nityanand Rai: He is Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, and the Lok Sabha MP from Ujiarpur in Bihar.
3. Vijay Kumar Sinha: He is the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, along with Samrat Choudhary, under Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister from January 2024. He has been a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Lakhisarai constituency since 2010
4. Sanjeev Chaurasiya: He is an MLA from the Digha Assembly constituency. He emerged victorious by defeating Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) candidate Divya Gautam by 59,079 votes in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
5. Nitish Mishra: He is an MLA from the Jhanjharpur Assembly constituency in the Madhubani district. Mishra won the seat by a margin of over 52,000 votes in the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.
6. Dilip Jaiswal: Former Bihar BJP chief is a third-time member of the Bihar Legislative Council and also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Kishanganj.
7. Ram Kripal Yadav: He is the Agricultural Minister in the Bihar government since 2025. He was in the Lok Sabha from the Pataliputra parliamentary constituency in Bihar. 
8. Janak Ram: He served as the minister of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare of Bihar. He is a former Member of the Lok Sabha from Gopalganj.

Also Read: BJP likely to have its first Bihar CM after Nitish Kumar's resignation: List of 8 probable candidates

Also Read: Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar meets senior JD(U) leaders Lalan Singh, Arun Kumar, Rituraj Kumar