Nitish Kumar has resigned. The 10-term Chief Minister of Bihar submitted his formal resignation to Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain on Tuesday. He is stepping down to move into national politics via the Rajya Sabha.
This leadership transition marks the end of a nearly two-decade era of regional control by Kumar. The BJP is now taking direct command of the state government. The BJP legislature party unanimously elected Samrat Choudhary as its new leader after the party dispatched a central observer to oversee the Bihar leadership transition. He will become Bihar’s first-ever BJP Chief Minister.
Kumar handed in his papers Tuesday evening, according to an update from NDTV.
Choudhary is scheduled to take the oath of office on Wednesday.
He previously served as Deputy Chief Minister. His political rise is deeply tied to a highly visible public vow. In 2022, Choudhary began wearing a saffron turban. He swore not to remove the headwear until Kumar was ousted from the opposition Mahagathbandhan camp. He finally concluded that vow and dedicated the turban at Ayodhya in July 2024 after Kumar rejoined the NDA alliance, as detailed in a report by the Hindustan Times.
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The elevation of Samrat Choudhary fundamentally rewrites the political arithmetic in eastern India. The BJP is directly targeting the JD(U)’s traditional voting blocs.
Choudhary is a prominent leader of the Koeri-Kushwaha community. This group makes up approximately 4.2% of Bihar’s population. His appointment is a calculated strike at the ‘Luv-Kush’ voter base. This specific alliance of Kurmi and Koeri castes historically anchored Nitish Kumar’s supremacy for twenty years.
By installing Choudhary in the top seat, the BJP is dismantling its reliance on regional coalition partners. They are establishing direct, unilateral control over the state apparatus ahead of national elections.