Who is Samrat Choudhary set to be new Bihar CM and BJP’s first leader to take the top post | India News
New Delhi: Samrat Chowdhury has been elected BiharIts new chief minister, later became the first BJP leader in the state to assume the post Nitish Kumar Resigned to go to Rajya Sabha. His elevation marks a landmark political shift in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar has been the dominant face of governance for more than two decades.Chowdhury was elected as the leader of the BJP assembly party in Bihar on Tuesday, paving the way for his elevation.“A meeting of the NDA legislative party will be held soon. Samrat Chaudhary will be formally announced during this meeting, and he will take over as chief minister,” Bihar minister Dilip Jaiswal said after Samrat Chaudhary was unanimously elected leader of the Bihar BJP assembly party. Speculation over the emperor’s succession intensified after Nitish Kumar was nominated by his party, the JD(U), to the Rajya Sabha and sworn in as a member of the upper house on April 10.At 57, Chowdhury has risen steadily through the political ranks in Bihar and is considered one of the BJP’s most powerful organizational figures in the state. He currently holds the Home portfolio and has played a central role in the NDA government, often representing the BJP alongside Nitish Kumar at major official and political events.Born into a political family, Chowdhury is the son of veteran leader Shakuni Chowdhury, an ex-army man who later became an influential politician in Bihar. Like his father, Samrat Chowdhury’s political journey crossed multiple party lines. He has been associated with it for years Rashtriya Janata Dal And Janata Party (United) before joining the BJP in 2017, a move that significantly steered his career trajectory.
Rise of Emperor in BJP
His rise has been rapid since joining the BJP. In 2023, he was appointed president of the party’s Bihar unit, consolidating his position as a chief strategist and mass leader. He later became Deputy Chief Minister and held the role of the NDA government formed after the 2025 assembly elections, winning from Tarapur constituency in Munger district.
OBC face
Chowdhury is also seen as an important OBC face for the BJP, representing the Queri-Kushwaha community, which wields significant electoral influence in Bihar. His caste appeal, coupled with his aggressive political style, has made him the focal point of the BJP’s expansion strategy in the state.Before the BJP and JD(U) renewed their alliance in 2024, Chaudhary was one of Nitish Kumar’s sharpest critics. In 2022, he publicly announced that he would not remove his saffron turban (known as Muretha in Bihar) until Nitish Kumar was removed from power.That symbolic promise ended dramatically in July 2024, when after the NDA coalition returned to office, he visited Ayodhya, offered a turban to Lord Rama, shaved his head and took a ceremonial dip in the Saryu river.In recent years, the BJP leadership has increasingly projected Chaudhary as the main face of the party in Bihar. During the 2025 Assembly campaign, he was at the forefront of the BJP’s campaign efforts and his deployment to other politically important states, including West Bengal, reinforced the notion that the party was grooming him for a larger leadership role.With his appointment now confirmed, Samrat Chaudhary takes over at a moment of transition in Bihar politics, tasked with leading the BJP into a new era after Nitish Kumar’s long and defining chapter.
