As the Nitish Kumar government took charge following the NDA’s landslide victory in the Bihar elections, the allocation of the Home portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, 57, marked a significant shift in the dynamics of the ruling coalition.The BJP is now in control of this crucial ministry for the first time as CM and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar parted with it after two decades.AdvertisementTwo days after being elected as the BJP Legislature Party leader, Choudhary took charge as the Home Minister, a role in which he will now oversee policing, law enforcement, and internal security. The transfer of this key ministry to the BJP not only reflected the new power equations in the NDA dispensation, but also signalled Choudhary’s emergence as the BJP’s face in the state.Choudhary, who hails from Lakhanpur village near Tarapur in Munger district, entered politics in 1990 as a member of the Lalu Prasad-led RJD.His father Shakuni Choudhary was a prominent regional politician, who represented the Tarapur Assembly constituency multiple times, first as an Independent, later as a candidate of the Congress, the Samata Party, and finally the RJD.AdvertisementSamrat Choudhary was first inducted as a minister in the Rabri Devi-led RJD government in 1999 as the Minister of Agriculture despite not being an MLA or MLC at the time. His appointment quickly became mired in a controversy over his age, forcing him to resign.Choudhary’s political rise has been shadowed by the 1995 Tarapur case, which saw the deaths of Congress candidate Sachchidanand Singh and his associates in a grenade attack during the Assembly elections.While charges were dropped against Choudhary and his father due to insufficient evidence, the row resurfaced during the recent Assembly polls, when Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor accused the former of allegedly falsifying his age so that he could be declared a minor then in order to get bail. Kishor pointed to a discrepancy in Choudhary’s affidavits, claiming he misrepresented his age to avoid serious criminal charges.Choudhary, however, clarified that he was never formally charged in the Tarapur case and that the court did not accept the minor age claim. He also dismissed allegations raised by Kishor about his educational qualifications, asserting that he had completed a “pre-foundation course” from Kamaraj University and was granted an honorary doctorate in 2019.Following his resignation as a minister in 1999, Choudhary won the Parbatta Assembly seat in 2000 as an RJD candidate. His political stock within the RJD rose steadily, and by 2010, he became the chief whip of the party in the Assembly.However, in 2014, Choudhary made a dramatic move, defecting to the JD(U) after falling out with Lalu Prasad. He also “orchestrated” the crossover of 13 RJD MLAs to the JD(U), cementing his reputation as an astute politician. In 2014, under Jitan Ram Manjhi’s brief tenure as the CM, Choudhary was appointed the Minister of Urban Development and Housing.In 2017, he joined the BJP and soon became its state vice president. His rise within the BJP was swift.Choudhary’s rapid ascent reflected the BJP’s strategic emphasis on consolidating the OBC vote bank, with Choudhary representing the Koeri community, an influential voting bloc in Bihar that has been aligned with Nitish Kumar.In 2020, Choudhary was elected as an MLC for a second term. His appointment as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council in 2022 further solidified his position as a key BJP leader. In 2023, he became the party’s Bihar chief, replacing Sanjay Jaiswal.When Nitish left the Mahagathbandhan and returned to the NDA fold in January 2024, Choudhary was sworn in as a Deputy CM. He was then given multiple portfolios, including the Finance ministry, that projected the BJP’s trust in his administrative capabilities. His elevation to the Deputy CM’s role along with the party’s Vijay Sinha was seen as an effort to balance power within the NDA and provide a counterweight to Nitish’s influence among the OBCs.In the 2025 Assembly elections, Choudhary secured a decisive victory from Tarapur, winning by over 45,000 votes against RJD candidate Arun Kumar, who had narrowly lost the 2021 bypoll.The BJP’s decision to put Choudhary at the helm of Bihar’s police and law enforcement indicated the party’s bid to stake a greater claim in the state’s governance besides grooming him for a larger role in the future.Choudhary’s ability to navigate various constituencies, coupled with his political acumen and administrative skills, make him a key leader for the BJP in Bihar. His elevation also gives the BJP an opportunity to consolidate its OBC base.