(Image source from: Indianexpress.com)

Samrat Choudhary is now the Chief Minister of Bihar, marking the first time a BJP leader has taken on this role in the state. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to happen tomorrow, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to be present, according to reports. The BJP already holds Chief Minister positions in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, making Bihar the last major Hindi-speaking state to have a BJP Chief Minister. However, that has changed today. "Samrat Chaudhary was chosen unanimously as the leader of the BJP's legislative party," Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan, who was appointed as a central observer by the BJP parliamentary board, announced. Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar, now a member of Rajya Sabha, stepped down as Chief Minister. "The new government will now manage the affairs in Bihar. I will fully support and guide the new administration," stated Kumar, who has served as Chief Minister for the longest period. The 57-year-old Choudhary, who previously served as Nitish Kumar's deputy, comes from the Koeri or Kushwaha caste, which is a significant other backward class (OBC) community in the state. Among the backward castes, the Kushwaha community is the biggest after the Yadavs. Reports indicate that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) asked the BJP to choose a Chief Minister from this specific caste group.

Choudhary has been involved in politics since 1990 and has changed parties several times — moving from Lalu Yadav's RJD to Nitish's JD(U), before finally joining the BJP in 2017. He has always been a top contender for the Chief Minister position, with the outgoing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dropping hints about it. During his Samriddhi Yatra across the state, Nitish Kumar, who is 75 years old, placed his hand on Samrat Choudhary's shoulder and encouraged people to support him. The BJP has been the minor partner in the state since 2005, except for a few years in between, but it had to wait until today to finally have its own leader fill the top position. Nitish Kumar's party holds 85 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly, just four shy of the BJP's count.