PATNA, April 10 -- Long-time chief minister Nitish Kumar arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member, his debut in the Upper House, leaving behind in Bihar a stage set for immediate but uncertain transition. His successor, the new CM and the new Bihar government, are likely to be named and take shape soon after the end of Khadmas -- a believably inauspicious spell of days -- on April 13. Nitish, who was elected to the RS on March 16, will take oath today (Friday), while many other members like his colleague from Bihar and BJP national President Nitin Nabin are set to do so on April 16. Sanjay Kumar Jha, the working president of JD(U) and also a Rajya Sabha MP, said that the process to form the next Bihar government will be set in motion after April 13 as people generally avoid initiating important work during the inauspicious period of Khadmas. "So, the transition process in Bihar will start from April 14," he said. During his brief interaction with the media upon reaching Delhi, Nitish said he had come to take oath. "I am here to take oath in the Rajya Sabha," he said, asking media persons to get whatever information they wanted from Bihar's Parliamentary Affairs Minister and his close aide Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also accompanied him. Choudhary said that Nitish would return to Patna on the evening of April 10. But before that, according to people in the know, he would meet the BJP leadership in the capital. BJP has also called a meeting of senior party leaders, including the core committee members from Bihar, in Delhi. This meeting is expected soon after Nitish's oath to work out the modalities for transition and decide on the new CM. Insiders say that Bihar's new government is likely by mid-April soon after the announcement of his successor's name, which has remained unknown despite wide-ranging speculations. The shape of the new government is also expected to change with new faces, including Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, which has made hopefuls for cabinet berths somewhat nervous. A senior BJP leader said that the new government formation could happen on April 15 and the function would be grand to demonstrate the smooth transition in Bihar in the presence of all NDA leaders and with the blessings of Nitish Kumar to send across a strong message, as it would be the day the party waited for too long. Choudhary said that Nitish Kumar would tender his resignation as CM after returning from Delhi to pave the way for the formation of the new government. "Rest of the things will follow after that as per the laid-down process and Khadmas will also end. Nitish Kumar will do what he has decided and what is the Constitutional requirement. The new government will also run on the Nitish model of development with justice. What he has done in the last 20 years in different spheres to transform Bihar is unparalleled and that is the reason his popularity has only grown with time. The new government will take his work forward as Nitish's legacy is NDA's strength as well as inspiration," he added. On Nishant's role, Choudhary said that he was actively into politics now and would prove himself in whatever role he is given. "He will be more active in the coming days," he added. This is the first time there will be a BJP CM in Bihar. Nobody in the NDA is ready to speak on the likely successor beforehand, as the crucial decision would be made at the highest level and then implemented through due process. The party will also send its senior leaders as observers to oversee the process. "After Nitish Kumar's resignation and the announcement of the elected NDA Legislature Party leader, the leader would stake claim for the formation of government before the Governor. Nitish Kumar has played a long innings in Bihar and after a long wait, the BJP has got the opportunity and the party understands its importance. That is why BJP has kept everything under wraps," said a senior BJP leader. Meanwhile, among Nitish's successors, one name that has been widely speculated is that of deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary. Pundits are gauging his chances based on how his profile has been upgraded by the BJP since 2023. In March 2023, he was appointed the state unit president and occupied the post until July 2024, later being given the No. 2 position in the government twice in succession. However, the party has a track record of springing surprises, as demonstrated in the case of Nitin Nabin, who was appointed national president of the party when almost nobody anticipated it. For the BJP, it is a crucial stage as Bihar has remained a challenge for the party due to the state's predominantly triangular politics and the compulsions of coalitions to stay in power. And the party might face new challenges once it has its own CM. "The transition of power is now a certainty, but its impact is not known. For the BJP, the bigger challenge will start post-transition, as the new CM will succeed Nitish Kumar, who has unmatched credentials both in successfully running a coalition and in the administration that transformed Bihar," said DM Diwakar, former director of the AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies. Diwakar said that the new CM's actions would be compared with Nitish Kumar from day one, and therein lies the challenge. "Perhaps that explains why the BJP is not hurrying in announcing the name, though it may have made up its mind in consultation with the JD(U) and other allies by now. In fact, the contours of the new government must be ready, but the picture would be clear only after Nitish Kumar's resignation," he added. Social analyst Prof NK Choudhary also felt that with the transition of power in Bihar, the entire responsibility would shift to the BJP. "In Bihar's complex political realities, the BJP knows what it means, as it experienced it at the peak of the Narendra Modi wave. Bihar is also crucial for national politics. Whoever succeeds Nitish Kumar will have the job cut out from the word go," he said....