Samrat Choudhary to take oath as new Bihar CM today, NDA leaders to be present

Bihar is set to witness a political shift with the formation of a new NDA government led by the BJP, as Samrat Choudhary prepares to be sworn in as the state’s 24th chief minister on Wednesday.

For the first time, Bihar will have a BJP chief minister. The development follows the resignation of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down from the post on Tuesday after being sworn in as a Rajya Sabha member.

Choudhary, who was serving as deputy chief minister, was unanimously elected leader of the NDA legislative party in the presence of Kumar. Soon after, he met Governor Syed Ata Hasnain to stake claim to form the government.

SWEARING-IN AT LOK BHAVAN

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled at Lok Bhavan at 10:50 am on Wednesday. Governor Syed Ata Hasnain will administer the oath of office.

Apart from the chief minister, two deputy chief ministers will also take oath. JD(U) leaders Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav will be sworn in as deputy CMs. Sources said only three leaders will be inducted initially, indicating a “small cabinet” with expansion likely next month. As a result, 33 ministerial posts will remain vacant after the ceremony.

POLITICAL TRANSITION AND NDA BACKING

The transition was formalised at a meeting of NDA MLAs, where Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar announced that all legislators had unanimously backed Choudhary as their leader.

Earlier in the day, BJP MLAs had chosen Choudhary as their legislative party leader in the presence of senior party leaders, including central observer Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Choudhary later thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for reposing faith in him, saying he would work to advance both Bihar’s development and the BJP’s ideological commitments.

NITISH KUMAR'S EXIT AND EMOTIONAL FAREWELL

Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister, began his final day in office by paying tribute to B R Ambedkar before attending a farewell cabinet meeting.

He later submitted his resignation to the Governor at Lok Bhavan and said the new government would have his “full cooperation and guidance”.

Kumar, who has served as chief minister a record 10 times since 2005, refrained from speaking to the media but shared a detailed statement outlining his tenure and contributions.

TEJASHWI'S 'LALU JI'S SCHOOL' JIBE AT SAMRAT

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took a swipe at Choudhary, calling him a “product of Lalu ji’s school” and questioning the NDA’s mandate, noting that the alliance had contested elections under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders and workers celebrated the development, describing it as a landmark moment for the party in Bihar.

Choudhary, who began his political career with the RJD before joining the BJP in 2017, had long been seen as a frontrunner for the chief minister’s post after Kumar signalled his move to the Rajya Sabha.

- Ends

With agency inputs

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