Indian PM Modi's party gets first chief minister in Bihar state
Getty ImagesA leader from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken oath as the new chief minister of eastern state of Bihar after veteran politician Nitish Kumar stepped down.
Samrat Choudhary, who was Kumar's deputy, has been sworn-in Bihar's first BJP chief minister.
Choudhary has held senior roles in the BJP, including that of the party's state president, and led major election campaigns in different states.
But he now has big shoes to fill. Kumar, one of Bihar's most influential leaders, was chief minister for the most part of the past two decades, often switching political alliances to stay in power.
With more than 74 million voters, Bihar is India's poorest state, with millions migrating to other parts of India for jobs. It is also among the few states in India where the BJP has not managed to form a government yet on its own.
Kumar, who belongs to BJP's ally Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), was elected to the Upper House of parliament last month. The 75-year-old politician's move had been on the cards for a while because of his deteriorating health.
He resigned from the chief minister's post on Tuesday, paving the way for Choudhary's appointment.
"Bihar has changed and I must acknowledge that and give him [Kumar] due respect... Now Samrat Choudhary is set to become the chief minister. This is a big and historic day," BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters earlier.
Choudhary, 57, belongs to a political family. His father Shakuni Choudhary served as a legislator in Bihar for more than two decades from the mid-1980s. His mother Parvati Devi was a social activist-turned-politician who too was elected legislator once.
Choudhary is seen as a prominent leader from a caste group that is part of Other Backward Class (OBC) - communities identified by the government as socially and economically disadvantaged - that forms a significant share of the electorate in Bihar, where caste remains a central factor in politics.
Choudhary's political career spans more than three decades and a number of parties. He was once a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bihar's main opposition party. He joined Kumar's JD(U) in 2014 but left in 2017 and joined the BJP - at a time when Kumar himself had realigned with the BJP after breaking with his previous allies.
After Kumar switched alliances again in 2022, Choudhary became one of his vocal critics. However, when the BJP and JD(U) renewed their alliance in 2024, Choudhary patched ties with the veteran, becoming deputy chief minister.
Choudhary was also home minister in Kumar's government, one of the most influential departments that oversees the state's police force.
His political approach has drawn both support and criticism within the ruling coalition.
Some say his elevation signals the BJP's efforts to broaden its social base in the state and will pay dividends in future.
Others have argued that he does not come from the BJP's traditional organisational structure and question his suitability for the top role.
He will undoubtedly face big challenges in the post in a state that has been synonymous with Kumar for so many years.
However, in the meantime, he has made history as his party's first chief minister in a politically crucial state.
