3 min readPatnaMay 2, 2026 06:45 AM ISTNitish Kumar’s luggage being shifted to his new address: 7, Circular Road.Amid a huddle of officials, aides and police, former chief minister Nitish Kumar slipped into his waiting white sedan. His belongings had already been sent ahead and, after emotional farewells to staff, Nitish and his son Nishant headed to his new address — 7 Circular Road.On Friday, the Bihar Chief Minister’s official residence at 1, Aney Marg bade its longest-serving occupant goodbye, after Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar vacated it following his move to the Rajya Sabha. For the residence and its staff, the shift marks a significant change: barring the brief nine-month tenure of Jitan Ram Manjhi, Aney Marg has been synonymous with Nitish for nearly two decades.Nitish first moved into Aney Marg in April 2006, months after becoming chief minister, after his predecessor Rabri Devi vacated it following the “inauspicious” month of Kharmas. He briefly left in May 2014 after installing Manjhi as chief minister following JD(U)’s poor general election performance, but returned to the bungalow in February 2015.It was Lalu Prasad who first earmarked 1 Aney Marg — named after former Bihar governor, Sanskrit scholar and Constituent Assembly member Madhav Srihari Aney — as the official chief minister’s residence after taking office in 1990. Originally two separate houses, one occupied by then Assembly Speaker Radha Nandan Jha, the properties were later merged into the present estate.During his tenure, Kumar set up a chief minister’s secretariat within the premises and conducted most official work from there. While some key bureaucrats from his tenure, including Anupam Kumar, have moved on central deputation, his long-time adviser and retired IAS officer Dipak Kumar remains.The new Circular Road residence lies just behind the old bungalow, but also close to his political rival Lalu Prasad Yadav’s home. Nitish will settle into the new house — and his new role — with his personal staff and security detail, including close associate Harendra Singh.Kumar took particular care to move his extensive collection of books, sources said. “We started the process about three weeks ago,” a source from the CM House said. “As Nitish Kumar had already lived at 7 Circular Road after his 2014 resignation, the house was readied as per his instructions. A stickler for rules, he had ordered the shift well before he formally resigned.”Story continues below this adHis successor and new chief minister, Samrat Choudhary — currently staying at the deputy CM’s residence at 5 Deshratna Marg — is expected to move into the official residence within a month. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...May 02: Latest News01Thomas Cup: Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag overcome doubts and disappointments, take matters into their own hands to put India on road to victory02Thomas Cup: How Ayush Shetty came of age on the big stage, taking India to the semifinals with a display of maturity and composure03Imprisoned Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to hospital04Russian Athletics Federation announces India tie-up, AFI says no MoU signed05Slow-healing wounds, hair loss, and cold toes: When to see a doctor for potential heart issuesAdvertisement