{
  "id": 8384041,
  "title": "Nitish gave up CM's post on his own, BJP didn't ask him to do so: Samrat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/nitish-gave-up-cms-post-on-his-own-bjp-didnt-ask-him-to-do-so-samrat",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T04:30:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar/nitish-gave-up-cms-post-on-his-own-bjp-didnt-ask-him-to-do-so-samrat/article71483599.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has stated that his predecessor, Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, voluntarily relinquished the Chief Minister's post and was not dismissed by the BJP. Choudhary, the first BJP leader to lead a government in the state, emphasized that Kumar, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP, continues to be the NDA's undisputed leader in Bihar. The Bihar Chief Minister explained that Kumar acknowledged Atal Bihari Vajpayee's role in allowing him to become the Chief Minister for the first time when the BJP held more MLAs than his party, and that he wished to reciprocate the favor. Choudhary also noted that RJD president Lalu Prasad, the BJP's main rival, owes his political stature to the BJP's support. Prasad became Bihar's Chief Minister thanks to the BJP's backing but displaced Dalit leader Ram Sundar Das, who had initially been in the race. Choudhary criticized Tejashwi Yadav, son of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, for mocking him as a \"selected\" leader rather than being elected. Choudhary, who joined the BJP less than a decade ago, downplayed concerns about his tenure as the Chief Minister till the next Assembly polls in 2030, acknowledging his standing due to the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}