Samrat Choudhary to be Bihar's first BJP Chief Minister as Nitish Kumar era ends

BJP leader and Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is set to become the next Chief Minister after Nitish Kumar brought down the curtain on his over two-decade stint in office. With Choudhary's elevation, the BJP will also get its first Chief Minister in Bihar.

The prominent OBC leader, who earlier served the party as its state unit chief, is likely to take oath tomorrow (April 15) in Lok Bhawan as part of the new cabinet rejig.

Choudhary's name as the frontrunner for the Chief Minister's post emerged as soon as Kumar decided to contest for the Rajya Sabha. The buzz soon translated into consensus as several senior party leaders backed his name for the next Chief Minister to rule Bihar.

In a key legislature party meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha, along with senior BJP leaders Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal and Renu Devi, formally proposed his name as leader of the BJP Legislature Party. The proposal was endorsed by the central observer and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

As soon as the announcement came to light, Choudhary expressed his gratitude to the BJP for bestowing him the opportunity to serve the people of Bihar. T

aking to X, the BJP leader wrote, "This is not merely a position for me, but a sacred opportunity to serve the people of Bihar, to fulfil their trust and dreams. I pledge to live up to the expectations of one and all with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity."

Choudhary further added that he would work dedicatedly to take Bihar to a new height of development in the coming time.

"Under the able leadership of the country's esteemed Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the guidance of the honourable National President Shri @NitinNabin ji, I will remain continuously committed to taking Bihar to new heights of development, good governance, and prosperity. Your affection, blessings, and cooperation are my greatest strength," his post on X read.

WHO IS SAMRAT CHOUDHARY

Active in state politics for more than three decades, Choudhary's first major political breakthrough came in 1999 when he was sworn in as the Minister of Agriculture in the RJD-led Bihar government.

The veteran leader in Bihar politics is known for his strong ground-level mass connections, which became evident in 2010, when, amid a state-wide JD(U) storm, he held his constituency, Parbatta. He was also made the Chief Whip of the Bihar Assembly in the same year.

However, his tenure with the RJD ended shortly, as in 2014, he resigned from the party and joined the JD(U). During his time in JD(U), he was made the Minister of Urban Development and Housing Department.

However, Choudhary rose through the ranks of Bihar politics as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which he became a part of in 2018. He was elevated to the Vice President's role in the state shortly and was also made the star campaigner for the NDA in the 2020 assembly elections.

Under his guidance, the BJP won 74 seats in the election. In 2023, he was made the president of the state unit – a move that benefited the BJP supremely as it emerged as the single largest party in the 2025 assembly election.

Choudhary is the son of Shakuni Choudhary, a seasoned Bihar politician and the founding member of George Fernandes-led Samata Party, which included former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

As a strong OBC leader, Choudhary has remained a key face to attract the votes of the Kushwaha or Koeri community, which, together with the Kurmi community, forms seven to eight per cent of the population in the state.