Two days after being elected chief of the BJP Legislative Celebration, Chaudhary was sworn in as residence minister, and can now be accountable for overseeing police, regulation enforcement and inside safety. The switch of this essential ministry to the Bharatiya Janata Celebration not solely mirrored the brand new energy relations within the NDA formulation, but in addition signaled the emergence of Mr. Chaudhary because the face of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration.
Chaudhary, who hails from Lakhanpur village close to Tarapur in Munger district, entered politics in 1990 as a member of Lalu Prasad’s RJD.
His father Shakuni Chaudhary was a outstanding regional politician who represented the Tarapur meeting constituency many occasions, first as an unbiased, later as a Congress, Samata Celebration and at last RJD candidate.
Samrat Chaudhary was first appointed as agriculture minister within the RJD authorities led by Loveli Devi in 1999, although he was not an MLA or MLC on the time. His appointment quickly grew to become embroiled in controversy over his age, and he was compelled to resign.
Chaudhary’s political rise has been overshadowed by the 1995 Tarapur incident wherein Lok Sabha candidate Satchidanand Singh and his associates have been killed in a grenade assault throughout parliamentary elections.
The fees towards Chaudhary and his father have been dropped attributable to lack of proof, however the controversy resurfaced throughout the current Meeting polls when Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishore accused Chaudhary of mendacity about his age to be declared a minor to get bail. Mr. Kishor identified inconsistencies in Mr. Chaudhary’s affidavit and claimed that he lied about his age to keep away from severe felony prices.
Nevertheless, Chaudhary clarified that he was by no means formally charged within the Tarapur incident and the courtroom didn’t settle for the minor’s criticism. He additionally denied allegations relating to Kishore’s academic background, claiming that he accomplished a “Elementary Basis Course” from Kamaraj College and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2019.
After resigning as minister in 1999, Chaudhary gained the Parbata meeting seat in 2000 as an RJD candidate. His political standing throughout the RJD rose steadily and by 2010 he grew to become the get together’s chief chief within the Congress.
Nevertheless, in 2014, Chaudhary took the dramatic step of defecting to the JD(U) after falling out with Lalu Prasad. He additionally “organized” a crossover of 13 RJD MLAs with the JD(U), cementing his repute as a shrewd politician. In 2014, throughout Jitan Ram Manjhi’s temporary tenure as CM, Chaudhary was appointed because the Minister of City Improvement and Housing.
He joined the Bharatiya Janata Celebration in 2017 and shortly grew to become the state vice chairman. His rise throughout the BJP was speedy.
Chaudhary’s speedy rise displays the BJP’s strategic deal with consolidating the OBC vote financial institution, with Chaudhary representing the Koeri neighborhood, a strong voting bloc in Bihar aligned with Nitish Kumar.
In 2020, Chaudhary was elected for a second time period as MLC. His appointment as Chief of Opposition within the Bihar Legislative Council in 2022 additional cemented his place as a key chief of the BJP. In 2023, he succeeded Sanjay Jaiswal because the Bihar get together president.
When Nitish left Mahagathbandhan and returned to the NDA fold in January 2024, Chaudhary grew to become deputy CM. He was subsequently given a number of portfolios, together with the finance ministry, demonstrating the Bharatiya Janata Celebration’s confidence in his administrative skills. His elevation to the position of deputy CM alongside together with his get together’s Vijay Sinha was seen as an effort to steadiness energy throughout the NDA and counter Nitish’s affect amongst OBCs.
Within the 2025 meeting elections, Chaudhary gained a decisive victory from Tarapur by over 45,000 votes over RJD candidate Arun Kumar, who narrowly misplaced within the 2021 by-polls.
The BJP’s determination to place Chaudhary on the helm of Bihar’s police and regulation enforcement companies not solely grooms the get together for a much bigger position sooner or later, but in addition indicators a willingness to stake larger stakes in governing the state.
Chaudhary’s capability to navigate numerous constituencies, his political acumen and administrative abilities have made him an essential chief of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration in Bihar. His elevation additionally provides the BJP a chance to strengthen its OBC base.
