Samrat Choudhary becomes first BJP leader to take oath as Bihar CM

Patna : Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday took oath as the 24th Chief Minister of Bihar, first BJP leader to do so. He succeeded Nitish Kumar, who resigned from the post after he moved to Rajya Sabha recently.

On Tuesday, he was elected leader of the BJP legislative party, later his name was formally announced during the NDA legislative party meeting.

On Wednesday, Samrat Choudhary took oath at the Lok Bhavan in the august presence of senior leaders. 

Born into a political family, he is the son of veteran leader Shakuni Choudhary. Over the years, his political journey has included stints with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) before joining the BJP in 2017, a move that accelerated his rise.

Since then, his ascent within the party has been swift. He was appointed Bihar BJP president in 2023 and later served as deputy chief minister in the NDA government formed after the 2025 assembly elections, winning from the Tarapur constituency.

Choudhary is also seen as a prominent OBC face for the BJP, representing the Koeri Kushwaha community, which holds considerable electoral influence in the state. His political positioning and outreach were central to the BJP's strategy in Bihar in recent years.

Interestingly, before the BJP and JD(U) renewed their alliance in 2024, Choudhary had been among Nitish Kumar's sharpest critics. In 2022, he had vowed not to remove his saffron turban until Kumar was removed from power, a pledge he later fulfilled in 2024 after the NDA returned to office.