Patna: Former chief minister Nitish Kumar is all set to regain Bihar’s crown after Jitan Ram Manjhi resigned on Friday morning before the scheduled vote of confidence in the state Assembly.

Mr Manjhi, realising he had been left high and dry, drove to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, who accepted it.

Later in the day, Mr Nitish Kumar called on the Governor and staked claim. He told reporters that the Governor had asked him to take the oath of office on Sunday evening. After his expulsion from the JD(U) Legislature Party, Mr Manjhi had been declared unattached member and was allotted a seat as such in the Assembly.

The Assembly, that was to begin its Budget Session with the Governor’s address to a joint sitting, was adjourned sine die. It is believed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav helped Mr Nitish Kumar regain power only after he agreed to induct his eldest daughter, Misa Bharti, as deputy Chief Minister.

A few hours after Mr Manjhi resigned, Mr Kumar, who had named the Dalit leader to rule the state after the JD(U)’s humiliating losses in the Lok Sabha polls, met the Governor accompanied by his coalition partners, including the RJD and Congress to stake claim for government formation.

Mr Kumar said the Governor was “convinced with our claims” and had asked him to form the next government. “It has been decided that I will take the oath on Sunday at 5 pm.” The CM-designate said he had been given time till March 16 to call an Assembly session, “where I will be seeking a vote of confidence”.

He apologised to the people for having resigned as CM earlier, and promised he would strengthen good governance in the state. Manjhi claimed he had decided to step down as his supporters were issued death threats and he did not want the legislators to lose their assembly membership.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the party wanted to send out the message that it stood against the humiliation of a Mahadalit at the hands of Nitish Kumar. “We had extended support to Manjhi and the onus of proving the majority of his government was on him ... He may have resigned but he has still won,” he said.