PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is set to be the state's first CM of the Bharatiya Janata Party after he was elected the BJP legislature party leader on Tuesday.
Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U) and became a Rajya Sabha MP last week, resigned as the chief minister earlier in the day.
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, whom the BJP parliamentary board named central observer for the legislature party leader's election, said, “Samrat Choudhary was unanimously elected as the BJP’s legislature party leader.”
The BJP is the single largest party in the 243-strong Bihar assembly with 89 MLAs.
Choudhary expressed gratitude to the central leadership of the BJP for entrusting him with the responsibility of Leader of the BJP’s legislature party in Bihar.
“For me, this is not merely a position, but an opportunity to serve the people of Bihar and to fulfill their trust and aspirations. I resolve to live up to the expectations of every citizen with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity,” he said in a post on X.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Jee and the guidance of our national president Nitin Nabin Jee, I will continuously strive to take Bihar to new heights of development, good governance, and prosperity,” he wrote.
Choudhary joined the BJP in 2017 after spending around 12 years in the RJD and JD(U).
The BJP MLA from Tarapur will now be elected the leader of the NDA legislature party.
Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said he has submitted his resignation from the post to Governor Syed Ata Hasnain.
Kumar, the longest-serving CM of Bihar, made this announcement on X after he met the governor at Lok Bhavan here.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, JD(U)’s national working president Sanjay Jha, and state minister Vijay Choudhary, Kumar reached Lok Bhavan and submitted his resignation.
"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," Kumar said.
The 75-year-old JD(U) chief became a Rajya Sabha MP last week.
"Now the new government will look after the work in Bihar. The new government will have my full cooperation and guidance," Kumar wrote on the social media post.