In a significant political development, Samrat Choudhary was sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Bihar on Wednesday, bringing an end to the long-standing leadership of Nitish Kumar. The swearing-in marks a historic moment, as Choudhary becomes the first-ever Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.
The oath of office was administered by Governor Syed Ata Hasnain at Lok Bhawan in Patna. Alongside Choudhary, senior Janata Dal (United) leaders Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were sworn in as Cabinet ministers and are set to serve as deputy chief ministers.
With this development, the BJP now has chief ministers in 16 states and has governed 19 states overall, further consolidating its political footprint across India. The party already holds power in several key Hindi heartland states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Delhi. Bihar, long considered a notable exception, has now joined that list.
Choudhary, who previously served as Deputy Chief Minister, was elected leader of the NDA legislative party on Tuesday in the presence of Nitish Kumar, who has since transitioned to the Rajya Sabha.
The political shift follows the resignation of Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as Chief Minister after dissolving his Cabinet. A dominant figure in Bihar politics for nearly two decades, Kumar now serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
In the outgoing government, Samrat Choudhary held the crucial Home portfolio as Deputy Chief Minister, establishing himself as a key administrative figure. Having joined the BJP in 2017, his elevation signals the party’s growing confidence in his leadership.
Choudhary’s appointment also carries social and political importance in Bihar’s caste-driven landscape. He is only the second leader from the influential Koeri community to become Chief Minister after Satish Prasad Singh, whose brief tenure in 1968 lasted just five days.
Born in 1968, Choudhary comes from a prominent political family. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA from Tarapur, while his mother, Parvati Devi, also represented the constituency in 1998.
Choudhary secured victory from the Tarapur constituency in the 2025 Assembly elections, defeating RJD candidate Arun Kumar by a margin of 45,843 votes. Over the years, he has held several key portfolios including Finance, Commercial Taxes, and Panchayati Raj.
His political career spans multiple parties and roles. He previously served as a Cabinet minister in governments led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rabri Devi. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council from 2022 to 2023 and headed the BJP’s Bihar unit between 2023 and 2024.
Earlier in his career, Choudhary was elected twice from the Parbatta Assembly constituency in 2000 and 2010 as a nominee of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
With his swearing-in, Bihar enters a new political chapter, with the BJP taking direct control of the state’s leadership for the first time.
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