Samrat Choudhary Makes History as Bihar's First BJP Chief Minister

In a sweeping consolidation of power, the 57-year-old leader has retained the critical Home Ministry and assumed control over 29 departments, signalling an era of centralised leadership as he succeeds Nitish Kumar's 21-year tenure.

By retaining the Home Ministry, Choudhary keeps a firm grip on law and order, police administration, and state security. His portfolio includes Agriculture, Health, Tourism, Art and Culture and Sports and others.

The oath of office was administered by Governor Lt Gen (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain at Lok Bhawan. Choudhary, who previously served as Deputy CM, takes the helm following Nitish Kumar's transition to the Rajya Sabha.

To balance the coalition, JD(U) veterans Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.

Nitish Kumar congratulated the new leader on X, promising "full cooperation and guidance" for the new administration

New Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has been assigned 10 departments, among them Water Resources, Minority Welfare, Education, Higher Education, Transport, and Rural Development sectors central to infrastructure and human capital development.

Another Deputy Chief Minister, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, will oversee the eight portfolios, including the key Energy and Finance departments.

The rise of Samrat Choudhary represents the culmination of the BJP's long-term strategy to lead the government in Bihar rather than playing the junior partner. A former member of the JD(U) who joined the BJP in 2017, Choudhary is credited with mobilising grassroots support and bridging caste alliances that proved vital in the 2025 State Assembly elections

Samrat Choudhary has big shoes to fill as he is set to succeed Nitish Kumar, who was sworn in as CM for a record 10th time in 2025 after the NDA registered a landmark victory in the assembly elections.

His elevation marks the end of an era dominated by Nitish Kumar's "Sushasan" (good governance) and the beginning of a new chapter for the NDA in Bihar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new CM after his swearing-in ceremony, expressing confidence in his leadership to fulfil the aspirations of the state.

"Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Samrat Chaudhary on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar! His energy, dedication to public service, and grassroots experience will prove extremely beneficial for the state. I am fully confident that under his capable leadership, while fulfilling the aspirations of the people, Bihar will touch new heights of all-round development," PM Modi said in a post on X.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated Samrat Choudhary and said, "I extend my best wishes for your successful tenure as the first Chief Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the NDA was serving the people of Bihar day and night with such a resolute spirit; I am confident that under your leadership, it will gain even greater momentum. At the same time, the NDA's double-engine government will work with even more energy towards building a secure and developed Bihar".

NDA ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan said that the state will touch new heights under his leadership and will take forward the efforts of former CM and veteran leader Nitish Kumar.

Paswan said, "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Samrat Choudhary. He will take my Bihar to the next phase. I believe that Bihar will reach new heights from here under Samrat Choudhary's leadership. Just as Nitish Kumar pulled Bihar out of the 'jungle raj' era and brought it to the stable situation it is in today, undoubtedly under Samrat Choudhary's leadership, our government will carry forward their efforts. We will certainly miss Nitish Kumar's presence and his active role in the state. As he becomes active in central politics, I extend my best wishes to him."

Reacting to Samrat Chaudhary becoming the new Chief Minister of Bihar, his father Shakuni Chaudhary on Wednesday said the achievement was possible due to the blessings of senior NDA leaders.

"Sometimes it is by the grace of God. We fought the entire battle but did not succeed. Today, by the grace of Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, and Nitish Kumar, this position has been attained," he said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly took a jibe at Samrat Choudhary for succeeding Nitish Kumar as CM.

He said the state continues to lag on key development indicators even after 21 years of the rule of the NDA.

In a post on X, Yadav wrote, "Congratulations to Shri Samrat Chaudhary ji on fulfilling his pledge today to remove the Elected Chief Minister Nitish Kumar from the throne, and heartfelt best wishes on becoming the Selected Chief Minister. I hope that the new Honourable Chief Minister ji will be fully aware of this bitter, unpleasant, and harsh fact that, even after 𝟐𝟏 years of NDA rule, Bihar lags far behind and remains significantly below the national average on most NITI Aayog benchmarks, including all indicators of quality education, better healthcare systems, a collapsed law and order system, income-investment, expenditure-consumption, jobs-employment, poverty-migration, uniform progress-inclusive growth, and all indicators of human development."

Born in 1968, Samrat Choudhary comes from a family deeply rooted in politics. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA from the Tarapur constituency. His mother, Parvati Devi, won the same seat in 1998 for the now-defunct Samta Party.

Samrat Choudhary was appointed as the BJP's state president in 2023 and later became the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar in 2024.

- ANI