The political journey of Samrat Choudhary has been anything but linear. Nearly three decades after he first entered the Bihar cabinet-- only to be removed by the Governor over questions about his eligibility-- the BJP leader has now risen to become the chief minister, marking a full-circle moment in his career.
The 57-year-old, who joined the BJP nine years ago, has seen a rapid ascent within the party, culminating in his emergence as its first chief minister in the state.
Born Rakesh Kumar, Choudhary first came into the spotlight in 1999 when then chief minister Rabri Devi inducted him into her cabinet.
His appointment was widely viewed as a political gesture towards his parents, Shakuni Choudhary and Parvati Devi--then an MP and an MLA of the Samata Party--who had shifted their allegiance to the RJD.
However, the stint was short-lived. A complaint soon reached the Raj Bhavan alleging that Choudhary, who was not a member of the legislature at the time, had not attained the constitutionally mandated age of 25.
Acting on the complaint, then Governor Suraj Bhan ordered his removal, in a rare instance of a minister being dismissed without the recommendation of the elected government.
The setback, however, proved temporary. In the 2000 Assembly elections, the RJD, led by Lalu Prasad, fielded him as a candidate. Choudhary won and was re-inducted into the cabinet, this time completing a full term.
After the RJD lost power to the JD(U)-BJP alliance in 2005, Choudhary stayed with the party and was appointed its chief whip five years later.
By 2014, signs of disillusionment had begun to surface. He led a split in the RJD and joined the JD(U) government headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi.
That stint, too, was brief. When Nitish Kumar returned to power months later, replacing Manjhi, Choudhary lost his ministerial position.
In 2017, he switched to the BJP. As a prominent leader from the Koeri OBC community--a group the party has actively sought to mobilise--he rose swiftly, becoming the state vice president within a year.
Over time, Choudhary recalibrated his political positioning. Once a sharp critic of Nitish Kumar when the JD(U) was outside the NDA, he later emerged as a trusted ally within the coalition, a shift that proved crucial to his rise.
Known for his imposing presence, Choudhary--well over six feet tall--was, until recently, almost always seen in public wearing a turban. In private conversations, he would often remark, half in jest, that he would remove it only after unseating the JD(U) supremo.
In 2024, when Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA “for good”, Choudhary--by then the BJP’s state president, having overtaken several senior leaders--was appointed Deputy Chief Minister.
His elevation, along with that of Vijay Kumar Sinha, another outspoken critic of Nitish Kumar, was interpreted in different ways: as a gesture of accommodation by some, and as a subtle assertion by the BJP by others.
Choudhary settled quickly into the role and, in less than two years, emerged as a leader trusted by Nitish Kumar, who handed him the key Home portfolio--an office he had retained since 2005.
Apart from this, his visibility surged during the Assembly elections. Campaigning in Tarapur--a constituency his father represented six times--Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged voters to support him, promising that he would be made “a big man”.
Returning to direct elections after nearly a decade in the Legislative Council, Choudhary won Tarapur by a margin of 45,000 votes.
Born in a village in Bihar’s Munger district, he is the son of Parvati Devi and Shakuni Choudhary, an army man-turned-politician who began his career in the Congress before aligning with Lalu Prasad and later Nitish Kumar.
As chief minister, Choudhary now faces the complex task of expanding the BJP’s footprint in Bihar while maintaining equilibrium within the NDA. This includes managing relations with the JD(U), which may feel diminished at no longer being “the party of the chief minister”, as well as smaller allies known for shifting loyalties.
He will also have to contend with criticism from opponents such as Prashant Kishor, who has raised issues ranging from discrepancies in Choudhary’s age in election affidavits to allegations of past criminal cases.
(With inputs from PTI)