Choudhary elected BJP leader as Nitish exits CM’s office
Ending speculations, which involved leaders and their caste equations in Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was finally elected as the BJP legislative party leader in the State at the NDA meeting in Patna on Tuesday, paving the way for him to take oath as the next chief minister of the State. Choudhary’s served in the RJD and the JD(U) for around 12 years before he joined the BJP in 2017.
“For me, this is not merely a position, but an opportunity to serve the people of Bihar and to fulfil their trust and aspirations. I resolve to live up to the expectations of every citizen with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity,” Choudhary posted on social media.
Following Choudhary’s election legislative party leader of the BJP, the oath ceremony for the next CM of Bihar is likely to be held on Wednesday, with an expected attendance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some of his cabinet colleagues and senior BJP leaders.
“Samrat Choudhary was unanimously elected as the BJP’s legislature party leader,” said Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, whom the BJP parliamentary board named central observer for the legislature party leader’s election. The BJP is the single largest party in the 243-strong Bihar assembly with 89 MLAs.
Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation as CM early on Tuesday after dissolving his Cabinet following its last meeting in Patna. “I have done a lot of work for the people of Bihar. Recently, I decided to leave the post of chief minister…and therefore, after today’s cabinet meeting, I met the governor and submitted my resignation to him,” Nitish posted on social media.
What came as a surprise was the sidelining of Nitish’s son. The JD(U) had bargained hard for one deputy CM post for Nishant Kumar.
Now, however, three senior leaders from JD(U) — Vijendra Yadav, Vijay Chaudhary and Shravan Kumar — have emerged as frontrunners in the race for deputy CM in Bihar. Sources indicate that two of these three leaders are likely to be appointed in the new Government. The 243-member Bihar Assembly allows for a Cabinet of up to 36 ministers. Sources said most current ministers may be retained.
The 202-strong NDA also includes 85 MLAs of the JD(U), besides 19 of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and five of the Hindustani Awam Morcha, headed by Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi, respectively. In addition, there are five MLAs of Rashtriya Lok Morcha, led by Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha.
