New Delhi: October thirtieth final yrjust a few days in the past in Bihar voted within the first stage of Throughout the meeting elections, at a rally in Mangals Tarapur, Dwelling Minister Amit Shah appealed to the individuals to vote in giant numbers for native BJP candidates.
“If Samrat Chaudhary wins, Prime Minister Modi will make him an important individual,” he advised the viewers, referring to the deputy prime minister. Voters obliged. Chaudhary returned as an MLA and retained his publish as deputy chief minister.
Marketing campaign rhetoric would not essentially move past the rally stage. That is what occurred this time. On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Occasion appointed him chief minister of Bihar, making him the primary social gathering chief to carry the state’s prime publish. He’s actually an “vital individual.”
57 years previous He’s scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday. Chaudhary began his political profession with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 1999, switched to the Janata Dal (United) in 2014, after which joined the Bharatiya Janata Occasion in 2017.
As a pacesetter of RJDhe served as a minister within the Rabri Devi authorities in 1999, a interval typically described by the BJP because the ‘Jungle Raj’. Attacking Lalu Prasad’s political social gathering.
Chaudhary, who’s the OBC face of the BJP, gained the Tarapur seat final yr. appreciable The distinction in votes was 45,843 votes. Many inside the BJP are calling his rise ‘meteor’.
“Take a look at how leaders have been sweating for years and nonetheless can not even get a ticket. In simply 9 years, he has risen to the place of chief minister in a cadre-based social gathering just like the BJP,” stated a senior BJP chief.
To clarify, political On the rationale behind the transfer, political analyst and senior journalist Shekhar Iyer stated the BJP management desires to keep away from any drastic modifications within the present caste and workplace preparations.
“The Bharatiya Janata Occasion desires to proceed its strategy of emphasizing caste in relation to the political equation of ‘Rab Kush’ (Kurmi Kushwaha) within the state,” he advised ThePrint.
He stated it was vital for the Bharatiya Janata Occasion to keep up the loyalty of the non-Yadav backward castes. “One of many deputy CMs will certainly be Kurmi and one other from the overall class will get the second slot. A Dalit or Yadav may be the deputy CM. Samrat belongs to the Kushwaha (often known as Koeri) caste.”
Chaudhary was appointed because the Bharatiya Janata Occasion’s Bihar state unit chief in March 2023.in August 2022, months after Nitish Kumar as soon as once more broke with the NDA and joined arms with the RJD-led alliance.
The BJP’s transfer to nominate Samrat Chaudhary as Bihar president was broadly seen as geared toward strengthening OBC help for the social gathering.
It’s possible you’ll know that the primary NDA authorities got here to energy within the state on November 24, 2005. Since then, there was rule of legislation within the state and we’re constantly engaged in growth work. Since its inception, the federal government has developed all sectors together with Hinduism, Islam, higher castes, backwards, ultra-backwards and Dalits.
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) April 14, 2026
“As state president, he labored exhausting to strengthen the social gathering and managed to unite the troops even when many didn’t like his strategy,” added the social gathering chief quoted above.
Commenting on the significance of creating Chaudhary the face of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion, a senior social gathering official stated: Kurmis and Coeris They’re the 2 largest OBC castes in Bihar.
Whereas Nitish Kumar belongs to the Kurmi caste, Samrat Chaudhary hails from the Koeri group. It has since been seen because the core of Mr Kumar’s help base. he Within the Nineties, he challenged Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Muslim Yadav (MY) caste arithmetic.
Some leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Occasion stated Choudhary’s place He has been strengthened as one of many main candidates to succeed Mr. Kumar. Additionally it is as a result of the truth that the outgoing premier helps him and seems to be glad along with his model of labor.
“It should be understood that Mr. Nitish Kumar can be conscious of the ‘love kush’ equation that he and Mr. Chaudhary are having fun with,” says the Bharatiya Janata Occasion chief.
“You need to perceive that Nitish Kumar can be conscious of the ‘love kush’ equation that he and Chaudhary get pleasure from and doesn’t need to disrupt that equation after stepping down from the CM publish. So, retaining that in thoughts, Chaudhary matches completely into this equation.” considered one of them stated leaders.
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caste calculation
In keeping with caste in 2023 Survey in BiharKushwaha group constitutes 4.2 per cent of the state’s inhabitants. The Kurmis and Kushwahas collectively make up about 7.08 per cent of the state’s inhabitants, whereas the Yadavs represent 14.26 per cent. One other BJP chief stated.
One other senior BJP chief added, “Mr. Chaudhary is the OBC face of the social gathering and the Bihar outcomes confirmed that the Kurmi-Koeri political alliance (collectively known as the ‘Rab Kush’ vote) is taking up the state. Given the type of help we acquired within the Bihar elections and the best way Mr. Chaudhary was operating issues, the social gathering didn’t need to disrupt the continuity.”
one thing else distinguish Chaudhary from many different Prime Ministers Applicant It’s the truth that he is likely one of the few senior leaders within the Bharatiya Janata Occasion who doesn’t have expertise with the RSS.
His father Shakuni Chaudhary was one of many founding members of the Samata Occasion and served as an MLA and MP a number of instances. His mom Parvati Devi as soon as represented Tarapur constituency.
“Given the help we acquired within the Bihar elections and the best way Chaudhary operated, the social gathering didn’t need to disrupt continuity,” says a Bharatiya Janata Occasion chief.
Chaudhary has gained two parliamentary elections up to now (2000 and 2010) however misplaced twice (2005 and 2015). In reality, Shakuni Chaudhary was thought of near former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on the time, other than Nitish Kumar.
Addressing the historic assembly held on the state BJP headquarters, observer and honorable Union Minister Shri. @chouhanshivraj I had the privilege of being elected because the chief of the BJP Legislative Occasion within the majestic presence of Shri. I wish to sincerely thank all my colleagues for the belief they’ve unanimously expressed in me… pic.twitter.com/UJnjRpTaDE
— Samrat Choudhury (@samrat4bjp) April 14, 2026
After Nitish Kumar returns to the Mahagathbandhan in 2022, Chaudhary has promised to put on the turban till he “abdicates” him. After Kumar rejoined the NDA alliance in 2024, he went to Ayodhya and shaved his head, then took a swim within the Saryu river and eliminated his turban.
controversy
The BJP chief has had his fair proportion of controversies.
When the Bharatiya Janata Occasion nominated him as its legislative chief in Parliament final yr, eyebrows had been raised inside the social gathering. He beforehand served as a minister within the RJD authorities led by Rabri Devi, a time period that the Bharatiya Janata Occasion has commonly attacked because the “jungle raj”.
Not solely that, however an issue over his academic background erupted within the run-up to final yr’s parliamentary elections. Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraj Occasion alleged that Chaudhary, who claims to have a Ph.D., didn’t even seem for the doorway examination. Kishore additionally accused him of mendacity about his age in his election affidavit. Chaudhary denied the costs.
Aditya Raj, an affiliate professor at Patna Institute of Know-how, advised ThePrint, “The Bharatiya Janata Occasion has been grooming him for fairly a while to entrust him with one duty after one other. He’s comparatively younger, has been fairly vocal in opposition to the Lalu household, and in addition fulfills the Luv Kush issue, which constitutes a sure share of voters.”
He additional stated that Chaudhary’s appointment would additionally guarantee some management from the Centre.
“He’s additionally thought of to be somebody who can hold the staff intact and on the identical time is near Amit Shah. His relationship with Nitish Kumar has additionally improved quite a bit over time and he appears to be very comfy with him too. So all these elements are serving to his case,” he added.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Additionally learn: BJP’s ‘Luv-Kush’ energy play: Why it selected to retain Samrat Chaudhary as Bihari CM
