Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar was on Friday invited by governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to form the government in Bihar after Jitan Ram Manjhi resigned as the chief minister.

Nitish and his team of ministers will be sworn in on February 22, said Principal Secretary to Governor Brajesh Mehrotra.

Nitish, earlier in the day, apologised for resigning as chief minister after Lok Sabha poll debacle.

“I want to assure the people of Bihar that if I get an opportunity again I will serve them in the same spirit I did for eight and a half year. Good governance was and will remain my priority.

“I also apologise for my decision to quit. I will never take an emotional decision again. Now I am ready to lead from the front,” Kumar told reporters soon after Manjhi resigned.

Flanked by leaders of RJD, Congress who are supporting him and his own JD(U), Kumar said he had already staked claim to form the government on February 8 and next day after meeting Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi in person.

“We will wait for his (governor’s) decision till tonight,” he said.

“I am in no hurry to form government,” he said in an apparent rebuttal to Governor’s earlier comment he seemed to be in a hurry to become chief minister.

He, however, did not disclose if RJD, Congress, CPI and the independent MLA supporting him would be part of his government.