BJP appoints Shivraj Singh Chouhan as observer to elect Bihar legislative party leader
Move sets stage for new Bihar government after Nitish Kumar’s Rajya Sabha shift; NDA to decide next chief minister in upcoming meeting
New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday appointed Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the central observer for the election of its legislative party leader in Bihar.
With the appointment, the party set in motion the process of the formation of a new government in Bihar after former chief minister Nitish Kumar moved to the Rajya Sabha.
"The Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, as the Central Observer for the election of the leader of the BJP's legislative party in Bihar," BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said in a notification.
Earlier in the day, JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said the process of the formation of the new government in Bihar will roll out after April 13.
Jha was speaking to reporters in Patna shortly after calling on Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, who is expected to step down as the chief minister to make way for a new government which is likely to be headed by the BJP.
"I think it will roll out after April 13. But you should speak to those who are in the state government for more details," said Jha, JD (U) working president and Rajya Sabha MP.
Besides Jha, those who turned up at the chief minister's residence included Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and JD(U) leader and the minister for parliamentary affairs, Vikay Kumar Chaudhary.
"The new chief minister will be elected by legislators of the NDA upon the recommendation of the BJP," Choudhary told reporters "The BJP has an important role to play. It has its own process in these matters. Once it comes forward with its plan, necessary things will follow," he added.
Though Bihar Samrat Choudhary is being seen as a likely candidate for the CM's post in Bihar, both the BJP and JD(U) have kept their cards close to their chest.
A source in the BJP said that the name of the new Bihar chief minister will be announced after the NDA legislator meeting in the state.
The date of the Bihar NDA legislature party meeting is yet to be announced by the ruling coalition.
Kumar took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on Friday, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern state.
He resigned as a member of the State Legislative Council on March 30 after he was elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 16. PTI