1, Anne Marg to 7, Circular Road: Nitish Kumar’s Final Power Move
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday (Image JD (U) on X)
Nitish Kumar Vacates 1 Anne Marg: The Political Meaning of 7 Circular Road
By MANISH ANAND
New Delhi, April 11, 2026 — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday vacated his official residence at 1, Anne Marg in Patna. In full public display, pick up vans carried his modest belongings to 7, Circular Road residence in Patna. This shuttle between two residences has defined the politics of Nitish Kumar for decades. But he seems to have made a final move now.
At 7, Circular Road, Nitish Kumar will be a neighbour to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi. The address holds Bihar’s political gravity with full force. The Lalu-Rabri clan holds one pivot of the Bihar politics.
Nitish Kumar has stayed at 7, Circular Road after resigning from the post of the Chief Minister — though briefly. The residence has proved in the past to be his lucky charm as he staged political comebacks. When he quit to pass on the baton to Jitan Ram Manjhi, Nitish Kumar had moved to the 7, Circular Road residence. But he quickly had made a strong comeback to lead Bihar for extended tenure.
In his over two decades of stints in phases as the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar always maintained the 7, Circular Road residence as his fallback option. That was done by allotting the bungalow to one of the Bihar’s top bureaucrats.
His last move from 7, Circular Road to 1, Anne Marg bore the signature of an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav. In 2015, Nitish Kumar had returned from 7, Circular Road residence to 1, Anne Marg official bungalow of the CM. That was done after he scripted a major win over the BJP in an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata dal (RJD). Prashant Kishor then had been instrumental in stitching an alliance between the Janata Dal (United) and the RJD.
Nitish Kumar, aided by Kumar, had launched a blistering poll campaign against the mighty electioneering blitzkrieg of the BJP. The 7, Circular Road residence had been the war room for him.
He vacated the CM’s official residence soon after taking oath as a Rajya Sabha MP. He has not delayed in vacating the residence. Nitish Kumar’s political obituaries have been written. Possibly, he may not stage a comeback to 1, Anne Marg in near future. An assertive BJP after winning 89 Assembly seats in the state 2025 elections has gone for the kill to grab the power pivot in Patna.
But Nitish Kumar’s politics still has relevance. His JD (U) has 84 MLAs in the state Assembly. The residence having already been politically nerve centre in the past may become host to the next phase of Bihar’s politics.
FAQ
Q: Why did Nitish Kumar vacate 1 Anne Marg? Nitish Kumar vacated the official Chief Minister’s residence at 1, Anne Marg after taking oath as a Rajya Sabha MP, as he no longer holds the Chief Minister’s post in Bihar.
Q: What is the significance of 7 Circular Road in Bihar politics? 7, Circular Road is Nitish Kumar’s historic fallback residence, from which he has staged multiple political comebacks, including his return to power after temporarily handing over the CM role to Jitan Ram Manjhi.
Q: Who is Nitish Kumar’s neighbour at 7 Circular Road? Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, is Nitish Kumar’s neighbour at 7, Circular Road — making the address a convergence point of Bihar’s two dominant political forces.
Q: How many MLAs does JD(U) have in Bihar Assembly in 2026? JD(U) has 84 MLAs in the Bihar state Assembly, maintaining significant political relevance despite Nitish Kumar stepping down as Chief Minister.
Q: Did Nitish Kumar stage a comeback from 7 Circular Road before? Yes. In 2015, Nitish Kumar returned from 7, Circular Road to 1, Anne Marg after scripting a major electoral victory over the BJP in alliance with the RJD, aided by poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
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