Samrat Choudhary Sworn In as Bihar Chief Minister

Samrat Choudhary, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, was sworn in as Bihar's chief minister on April 15, 2026, becoming the first member of his party to hold the state's top post in a historic shift for the National Democratic Alliance government. The ceremony took place at Lok Bhawan in Patna, where Governor Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath to Choudhary, along with Janata Dal (United) leaders Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav as deputy chief ministers. The transition followed Nitish Kumar's resignation the previous day after more than two decades in office, prompted by his election to the Rajya Sabha.

The event marked the culmination of the BJP's growing influence within the NDA coalition, which secured a strong majority in the 2025 assembly elections with 89 seats for the BJP and 85 for the JDU, alongside smaller allies. Nitish Kumar, who had led Bihar through multiple alliance realignments since 2005, dissolved his cabinet before stepping down, ending an era defined by his focus on governance reforms. Choudhary, 57, who served as deputy chief minister and held the home portfolio, retained that key department along with about 30 others, including health,...