Samrat Choudhary Takes Oath As Bihar Chief Minister After Nitish Kumar Resigns

Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar, marking a historic moment as he became the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to hold the state’s top post. The oath of office was administered by Governor Syed Ata Hasnain at Lok Bhavan in Patna.

The political transition comes after outgoing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resigned from the post a day earlier. In his resignation statement, Kumar said the new government would have his “full cooperation and guidance,” signalling continued political engagement despite stepping aside from the chief ministerial role. His exit marks the end of a long tenure defined by his governance model widely referred to as “Sushasan” or good governance.

Choudhary, who had been serving as Deputy Chief Minister until recently, now leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar. His elevation is seen as a significant expansion of the BJP’s leadership footprint in the Hindi heartland, where the party already holds chief ministerial positions in several major states.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar Says He Will Continue Guiding Bihar Government, Sets 2030 Goal

The appointment is also politically significant within Bihar’s caste dynamics. Choudhary belongs to the Koeri (Kushwaha) community, an influential Other Backward Class (OBC) group that constitutes an estimated 6–7% of the state’s population. The Kushwaha community is considered one of the largest OBC groups after the Yadavs, and his selection is viewed as an important electoral and social balancing move within the ruling alliance.

Born in 1968 into a politically active family, Choudhary has been involved in politics since 1990. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA from Tarapur, while his mother, Parvati Devi, also represented the same constituency in 1998. Over the years, Choudhary has been associated with multiple political parties before joining the BJP in 2017, marking a key turning point in his political career. With his swearing-in, Bihar enters a new phase of governance under the NDA, ending a long era dominated by Nitish Kumar’s leadership and setting the stage for a fresh political chapter in the state.

Also Read: Nitish Kumar Resigns As Bihar CM; BJP To Lead State Government For First Time