Patna: BJP president Nitin Nabin did not resign from his Bihar assembly membership on Sunday as scheduled and instead left for poll-bound Assam due to an “urgent” engagement, according to party sources.CM Nitish Kumar, a member of the Bihar legislative council, is also supposed to resign from the House membership on Monday following his nomination to the Rajya Sabha.“Nabin had many programmes scheduled in Assam on Sunday, as a result of which he left there by a chartered flight,” BJP media in-charge Danish Iqbal told TOI on Sunday. “He still has time to resign,” he added.“We hope both Nabin and Nitish, who have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, will together resign on Monday,” said a BJP leader wishing not to be identified.A BJP spokesperson said Nabin left for Assam by a chartered plane as he had a pre-fixed programme there.According to information available from assembly sources, Nabin was scheduled to resign from his House membership at 8.40am on Sunday in the official chamber of assembly Speaker Prem Kumar. In line with the plan, the Speaker reached his chamber well in advance despite Sunday being a holiday and waited for Nabin, who did not arrive.“There was an emergency that led Nabin to leave. This has led to the postponement of his resignation,” the Speaker told reporters, adding that Nabin could resign from his assembly membership by Monday. “Today is March 29 and as per my information, he can resign by March 30,” the Speaker added.The Speaker said he was attending a function in Delhi when he received a call from state BJP chief Sanjay Saraogi about the expected resignation by the party’s national president. “So, I hurriedly returned to Patna from Delhi on Saturday night itself,” the Speaker told reporters gathered in his chamber.BJP sources said Nabin left for poll-bound Assam and may travel to Delhi from there to attend an important meeting.
