A political odyssey spanning RJD, JD(U), and BJP culminates in the top chair as Nitish Kumar steps aside
Bihar is waking up to a new political chapter. Samrat Choudhary, currently the state’s deputy chief minister, has been named BJP’s pick to succeed Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister, with the oath ceremony scheduled for April 15.
Choudhary’s rise reads like a textbook on Bihar’s fluid political landscape. Born into dynasty, his father Shakuni Chaudhary was a six-time MLA ,he began his career in the RJD in 1999, won the Parbatta seat in 2000, and served as minister under Rabri Devi. He later crossed to JD(U) in 2014, then joined the BJP in 2017, climbing swiftly to state president by 2023 and deputy CM in January 2024.
Widely regarded as the BJP’s prominent OBC face in Bihar, he brings both grassroots credibility and organisational heft to the state’s top office. Controversies around election affidavits and a 1995 murder case reference continue to shadow his otherwise meteoric trajectory.
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