Shortly after Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving CM of Bihar, resigned from the post, his Deputy, Samrat Choudhary, was named his successor, marking a significant shift in the state’s power dynamics.

Choudhary was elected the BJP legislature party leader and is expected to take the oath tomorrow.

This elevation follows a period of increasing influence for Choudhary, who has emerged as the primary face of the BJP in Bihar. His rise reflects the new power equations within the NDA dispensation, signaling a more assertive role for the BJP in the state’s internal security and governance frameworks.

Samrat Choudhary was seen as the leading contender among the high-profile hopefuls, who also included prominent names like Nityanand Rai and Nishant Kumar, the son of Nitish Kumar.

As per political experts, Choudhary’s social base in the Kushwaha (Koeri) community worked for him.

His name was proposed by Vijay Kumar Sinha. “I am a soldier of the BJP…After years of hard work on the ground, we now have the opportunity to bloom Lotus here. As a soldier of the BJP and as per my Commander’s command, I proposed the name of Samrat Choudhary…”

Samrat Choudhary accompanied Nitish Kumar to Raj Bhawan, where the JD(U) submitted his resignation from the post to Governor Syed Ata Hasnain.

“I have done a lot of work for the people of Bihar. Recently, I decided to leave the post of chief minister…and therefore, after today’s cabinet meeting, I met the governor and submitted my resignation to him,” Kumar said.

The 75-year-old JD(U) chief became a Rajya Sabha MP last week.

“Now the new government will look after the work in Bihar. The new government will have my full cooperation and guidance,” Kumar wrote on the social media post.

Samrat is Lalu Yadav’s most vocal and aggressive critics in Bihar. The relationship between the two soured in 2014, when Samrat led a rebellion within the RJD, breaking away with a group of 13 MLAs.

He briefly joined the JD(U) and served as a minister under Jitan Ram Manjhi before eventually finding his permanent home in the BJP in 2018.