Patna: Former BJP MLC Devesh Kumar has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Bihar State Planning Board for a three-year term, according to a notification issued by the Planning and Development Department on Monday.
Devesh will also be accorded ministerial status while serving as Vice-Chairman, giving the appointment added political significance.
Appointment follows resignation as MLC
Devesh’s appointment comes after he resigned from the Bihar Legislative Council, where he had been elected under the Governor’s quota in 2021.
His term was originally scheduled to continue until March next year. However, he resigned to facilitate the nomination of Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash to the Legislative Council.
Prakash had become a minister without being a member of either House of the state legislature. To continue as a minister, he was required to become a member of the legislature. Following Kumar’s resignation, the vacant Legislative Council seat was filled by nominating Prakash under the Governor’s quota.
The issue surrounding Prakash’s nomination had also reached the Supreme Court. Kumar’s resignation was subsequently made at the request of the NDA’s top leadership.
Long association with BJP
Devesh has held several organisational responsibilities in the BJP and is currently the party’s Mizoram state in-charge.
Before entering active politics, he worked as a journalist with various media organisations. He later joined the BJP and took on several organisational assignments.
Devesh is also the grandson of freedom fighter Yamuna Karjee.
New role in state planning
As Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board, Devesh is expected to have a role in matters concerning development planning, government schemes and policy-related issues in Bihar.
His appointment is being viewed in political circles as an important new responsibility, particularly given his organisational experience within the BJP and his previous tenure in the Legislative Council.
The conferment of ministerial status further enhances the significance of the post as Devesh returns to an active role in Bihar’s political and administrative landscape.
