Patna, July 31: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Bihar Legislative Council member Devesh Kumar has resigned from the Upper House, paving the way for Bihar minister Deepak Prakash to become a member of the Legislative Council and fulfil the constitutional requirement for continuing in office.
Devesh Kumar submitted his resignation to the Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council. His exit is expected to facilitate the election of Deepak Prakash to the vacant seat.
Deepak Prakash, who is currently a minister in the Bihar government, is not a member of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. Under constitutional provisions, a minister must secure membership of either House within six months of appointment, failing which the individual cannot continue in the Council of Ministers.
The matter gained urgency after the Supreme Court, during a hearing related to Deepak Prakash, questioned the Bihar government on how he was continuing as a minister despite not being a member of either House.
Following Devesh Kumar’s resignation, the state government is expected to initiate the formal process for electing Deepak Prakash to the Legislative Council from the vacant seat.
Devesh Kumar, born on August 30, 1964, in Mohammadpur Devpat village of Samastipur district’s Pusa block, is the grandson of freedom fighter and noted farmer leader Yamuna Karji. He received his schooling at St. Michael’s High School in Patna and later studied at St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, before completing his Master’s degree and MPhil.
Before joining active politics, Devesh Kumar had a long career in journalism, where he covered political and social issues. He later joined the BJP and held several key organisational responsibilities, including serving as the party’s Bihar State General Secretary.
He was nominated to the Bihar Legislative Council through the Governor’s quota on March 17, 2021, and served as an active member of the Upper House before stepping down to facilitate the party’s organisational and legislative requirements.
With the resignation now in place, the process to fill the vacant Legislative Council seat is expected to begin shortly, enabling Deepak Prakash to meet the constitutional mandate for ministers.
