Bihar CM's House Expanded Ahead Of Cabinet Expansion
The 1, Aney Marg residence is named after freedom fighter, educationist and Sanskrit scholar Madhav Shrihari Aney, who served as Bihar governor in 1948-52.
By Dev Raj
Published : May 5, 2026 at 5:10 PM IST
Patna: Ahead of the Bihar cabinet expansion scheduled on May 7, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s official 1, Aney Marg residence has been expanded.
The 5, Deshratna Marg bungalow, which was allotted to Samrat as the deputy chief minister in the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by chief minister Nitish Kumar, has now been assimilated into the chief minister’s official residence, albeit temporarily.
Building construction department (BCD) joint secretary – cum – estate officer Sheo Ranjan issued a letter dated April 30 in this regard. It read: “Cancelling the previous order, residence number 5, Deshratna Marg is marked as an extended part of 1, Aney Marg (chief minister’s residence).”
Incidentally, Nitish resigned as Bihar chief minister on April 14 after being elected to the Rajya Sabha. He vacated the 1, Aney Marg residence on Saturday (May 2) and shifted to the 7, Circular Road residence that was allotted to him around 12 years ago. On the other hand, Samrat has retained the 5, Deshratna Marg despite succeeding Nitish. He also uses his personal residence in Patna at night.
"Nitish ji has vacated the 1, Aney Marg residence and Samrat ji is yet to move in. It will take three to four months to renovate and refurbish it for the new chief minister, as per his taste and requirements. The household gadgets are also to be replaced," Sheo said.
"Meanwhile, the new chief minister will have to discharge his duties. He would also need various facilities to function, as well as a cell for his six or seven secretaries and other officials. We will use the 5, Deshratna Marg to provide these facilities to him and serve as his residence temporarily," Sheo added.
The BCD joint secretary pointed out that providing the facilities to Samrat at the 5, Deshratna Marg residence without designating it as a part of the chief minister’s official residence would have attracted audit objections.
"Once we renovate the 1, Aney Marg residence, the 5, Deshratna Marg could again become a separate bungalow allotted to deputy chief minister. Therefore, we have used the word ‘temporarily’ in our notification," the joint secretary added.
Previously, the 5, Deshratna Marg has served as the official residence of various deputy chief ministers, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, senior BJP leaders Tarkishore Prasad, and late Sushil Kumar Modi. It is located adjacent to the 1, Aney Marg residence and shares a wall with it.
The 1, Aney Marg residence is named after freedom fighter, educationist and Sanskrit scholar Madhav Shrihari Aney, who served as Bihar governor from 1948 to 1952. The then Congress leader Bhagwat Jha Azad was the first chief minister to occupy it between March 1988 and March 1989.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) couple and former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi occupied it for 15 years between 1990 and 2005. Nitish followed it up by staying there for around two decades.
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