BJP leader Samrat Choudhary was sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Bihar on Wednesday, marking a major political shift in the state and bringing an end to Nitish Kumar’s long tenure in power. Choudhary has become the BJP's first-ever chief minister of the state.
Governor Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath of office to Choudhary at the Lok Bhawan in Patna. JDU MLAs Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav have also been sworn in as Bihar Cabinet ministers. They will take charge as deputy ministers.
Shortly after, he took charge at the Bihar Secretariat.
With Choudhary's swearing-in, the BJP currently has 16 chief ministers in the country and the 19th state where it has had its government and the 57th chief minister in the saffron party's history so far.
The BJP already governs key Hindi heartland states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi, with Bihar long remaining the notable exception, but that changed today.
Choudhary, who was previously the deputy chief minister, was named the NDA legislative party leader in the presence of Nitish Kumar, now a Rajya Sabha member, on Tuesday.
End of Nitish Kumar era in Bihar
JDU supremo Nitish Kumar, now a Rajya Sabha MP, stepped down as chief minister on Tuesday after dissolving his Cabinet. In the outgoing government, Samrat Choudhary had served as Deputy Chief Minister and handled the key home portfolio, making him a central figure in the administration.
Choudhary, who joined the BJP in 2017, was elected leader of the party’s legislative wing on Tuesday.
His elevation also carries caste significance in Bihar’s complex political landscape. He becomes only the second leader from the influential Koeri community to serve as Chief Minister, after Satish Prasad Singh, whose brief tenure in 1968 lasted just five days following the collapse of his coalition government after Congress withdrew support.
Samrat Choudhary's political journey
Born in 1968, Samrat Choudhary hails from a politically influential family. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA from the Tarapur constituency, while his mother, Parvati Devi, won the same seat in 1998 on a Samta Party ticket.
Choudhary won the Tarapur constituency in the 2025 assembly elections by defeating Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Arun Kumar by 45,843 votes. He became the Deputy Chief Minister in January 2024 and held several ministries, including Finance, Commercial Taxes and Panchayati Raj, during different tenures.
Choudhary was the Cabinet minister in the Jitan Ram Manjhi and Rabri Devi governments.
He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council from 2022 to 2023. He was also the BJP Bihar state unit chief from 2023 to 2024. He represented the Parbatta Assembly constituency twice in 2000 and 2010 as a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nominee.
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