As Nitish Kumar exits, there's a new Samrat in Bihar

PATNA: Samrat Choudhary will be the new chief minister of Bihar, becoming the first BJP politician to helm a govt in the state. He replaces JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, whose work during a record 10 stints as CM earned him the epi-thet "Sushasan Babu", or "Mr Good Governance".

Nitish's stints as CM included a period from Nov 2005 to May 2014, and another from Feb 2015 to April 2026, interrupted only by a brief innings by Jitan Ram Manjhi.




"The caravan of Bihar's development will continue to advance. With the trust of all the esteemed leaders of NDA, we will take Bihar's development, progress and good governance to new heights with renewed energy," Choudhary said in a post on X after his election as NDA legislature party chief.

Choudhary's appointment represents a stunning rise in the career of the two-term MLA who switched from RJD to JD(U) before landing in BJP where his background as an OBC Kushwaha/Koeri, the second-most numerically prepo-nderant caste, helped him surge ahead of BJP faithful on the other side of the caste divide in "backward"-dominated Bihar.

BJP is the single largest party in the 243-member Bihar assembly with 89 MLAs. Governor Syed Ata Hasnain invited Choudhary to take the oath of office at 10.50 am on Wednesday. Choudhary had emerged as one of BJP's most visible faces in Bihar during the anti-Nitish phase of state politics.

Born in 1968 into a politically influential family, Choudhary has deep roots in Bihar politics. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA and former minister, while his mother, Parvati Devi, also served as an MLA from Tarapur. Samrat Choudhary himself was elected MLA from Tarapur in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. Earlier, he represented Parbatta constituency in Khagaria district twice, winning in 2000 and 2010.

Earlier, he represented Parbatta constituency in Khagaria district twice, winning in 2000 and 2010. Choudhary had emerged as one of BJP’s most visible faces in Bihar during the anti-Nitish Kumar phase. In 2022, he vowed to wear a saffron turban, or muretha, until Nitish was removed from power.

In July 2024, he symbolically offered the turban to Lord Ram in Ayodhya after Nitish rejoined NDA. He belongs to the Koeri, or Kushwaha, community, a politically significant OBC group. His elevation is seen as a strategic move by BJP to consolidate Koeri-Kushwaha support and strengthen its social base in the post-Nitish landscape. Choudhary’s name for the top post was proposed by Nitish Kumar at the NDA legislature party meeting.

Later, he, accompanied by alliance leaders, reached Lok Bhavan at 5.50 pm Tuesday and staked claim to form the new govt. BJP national president Nitin Nabin congratulated him, expressing confidence that under Narendra Modi’s guidance, Bihar would progress towards ‘Viksit Bihar 2047’.

Choudhary has spent over three decades in active politics. He began with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal in the late 1990s and served as a minister in the Rabri Devi government. In 2014, he joined Janata Dal (United), serving in Jitan Ram Manjhi’s cabinet, before moving to BJP in 2017. His rise in the BJP was swift—appointed Bihar BJP vice-president in 2018 and state president in March 2023, succeeding Sanjay Jaiswal.

In Jan 2024, after Nitish returned to NDA fold, Choudhary became the deputy CM. An aggressive orator, he is seen as a disciplined BJP leader. Analysts recall an event where Nitish asked him to join Modi on stage, but he stayed back, mindful of hierarchy. Lakhanpur village erupted in celebration as its most prominent son was chosen the CM.
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