Senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary was on Wednesday unanimously elected Speaker of 16th Bihar Assembly. A fifth term MlA, three times on Congress ticket, he is a close confident of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Chaudhary, who had served as Minister of water resources, I&PRD and agriculture in the previous Nitish Government, was opposed by none and even Opposition parties submitted nomination papers on his behalf. like his predecessor Uday Narain Chaudhary, who lost the Assembly election at the hands of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, the new Speaker too had served as Bihar president of JD(U).
A seasoned politician, Chaudhary is a popular political figure and enjoys respect in all the parties for his suave and soft nature. After Nitish severed ties with the BJP, he became the CM’s most trusted associate and was practically number two in the cabinet, also replying to questions related to Home department. A former Probation Officer with SBI, Chaudhary had to resign from service and plunge into politics following the demise of his legislator father Jagdish Prasad Chaudhary.
The new Speaker, who will turn 59 on January 8, first contested by-poll from Dalsingsarai the seat falling vacant due to demise of his father on Congress ticket and won. later on he won in 1985 and 1990. That was the time he got closer to Nitish Kumar, then a close aide of lalu Prasad. Chaudhary also served as general secretary of Bihar Congress during 2000-05. In 2008, he was made general secretary and spokesman of JD(U) and became State party chief in February 2010, the post he held till November 2010 Assembly election after which he was made a Minister.