Samrat Choudhary scripts history, to be Bihar’s first BJP CM as Nitish steps down

Samrat Choudhary, who has been the state’s deputy CM since January 2024, is set to take the oath of office on Wednesday morning.

Samrat Choudhary was unanimously elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party on Tuesday, clearing his path to become the party’s first-ever chief minister of Bihar.

Samrat Choudhary greets supporters and party workers at the BJP office after his unanimous election as leader of the BJP legislature party in Bihar, on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Lawmakers of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also met later in the evening and endorsed his name as the coalition’s leader in the assembly and the chief minister.

Choudhary, who has been the state’s deputy CM since January 2024, is set to take the oath of office on Wednesday morning.

In his first reaction on X, Choudhary thanked the BJP leadership for trusting him to the state’s top executive post.

“This is not merely a position for me, but a sacred opportunity to serve the people of Bihar, to fulfill their trust and dreams. I pledge to live up to the expectations of one and all with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity,” he said in a post on X.

The meeting of the BJP legislature party came hours after Nitish Kumar, who moved to the Rajya Sabha after a historic stint at the state’s helm that spanned two decades. At the meeting, Choudhary’s name was proposed by fellow deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and seconded by senior leaders Renu Devi and Mangal Pandey.

Union minister and central observer Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the formal announcement, calling it a “historic moment” that fulfills the dreams of workers since the Jana Sangh era.

“This is an emotional moment,” said Chouhan.

“These are historic moments. Workers who have helped build the BJP organisation since the Jana Sangh days are seeing their dreams being realised today. Their resolve is complete today. I congratulate Samrat Choudhary,” he said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Kumar submitted his resignation letter to governor Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) after holding the outgoing government’s last cabinet meeting. Kumar reflected on his experiences spanning his 20-year tenure and described how he accelerated the pace of Bihar’s development.

He extended his congratulations to the new government and vowed to extend his full co-operation and guidance for Bihar’s development in the future as well.

Who is Samrat Choudhary

Samrat Chaudhary, 57, belongs to the Koeri (Kushwaha) community and has long been seen as the BJP’s CM face.

Chaudhary entered politics in 1990, starting with the RJD. In 1999, he became agriculture minister in Rabri Devi government, but was removed in November 1999 after a controversy.

His father Shakuni Chaudhary was a seven-time MLA from Tarapur since 1985. His mother, late Prabhabati Devi, was also a Samata Party MLA from 1998-2000.

In 2017-2018, Samrat joined the BJP and rapidly rose through the ranks. He became both vice president and president of Bihar BJP. In 2020, he was elected to the legislative council.