Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of India's eastern state of Bihar, has said he will step down from his post to become a member of the federal parliament.
Kumar, 75, said in a post on X on Thursday that the new government in the state "will have his full cooperation and guidance".
His decision paves the way for a new chief minister, who can be from Kumar's Janata Dal (United) party or his coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This decision marks a pause for Kumar's political career in the state where he was chief minister for most parts of the last two decades.
He is one of Bihar's most influential political figures. Several of his party colleagues and alliance partners say his move to vacate the top post has been on the cards for a while because of his deteriorating health.
