The counting day of the Bihar elections is tomorrow, and in the thick of the political storm is Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. A seasoned BJP leader, Choudhary is one of the most talked-about figures in the state and has been involved in a war of words with Jan Suraaj Party's Prashant Kishor.
The drama began when Prashant Kishor claimed that Choudhary had links to a 1995 Munger murder case and accused him of lying about his age to avoid trial. He also questioned Choudhary's educational credentials. The BJP leader denied the claims, calling them politically motivated.
Who Is Samrat Choudhary?
Samrat Choudhary was born on November 16, 1968, in Lakhanpur village of Munger. His father, Shakuni Choudhary, was a six-time MLA and an MP, while his mother, Parvati Devi, was an MLA from the Tarapur constituency. Samrat Choudhary completed his primary education locally and later pursued higher education at Madurai Kamaraj University.
Choudhary entered active politics in 1990. He became Minister of Agriculture in Bihar in May 1999 during Rabri Devi's government. He was elected as an MLA from the Parbatta constituency in 2000 and 2010. In 2010, he became the chief whip of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly.
Originally associated with RJD and JD(U), Samrat Choudhary planned a split in the RJD in 2014, defecting 13 MLAs to form a splinter group before joining the BJP.
On June 2, 2014, he became Minister of Urban Development and Housing in the Jitan Ram Manjhi ministry. He had also served as Minister of Metrology and Horticulture in 1999.
In March 2023, Samrat Choudhary was appointed the BJP Bihar state president, replacing Sanjay Jaiswal. He was picked to strengthen the party's OBC base, particularly among the Koeri/Kushwaha caste.
During his tenure, Choudhary openly criticised Nitish Kumar for alleged favouritism and government policies. He also symbolically wore a turban as a vow to remove Nitish Kumar from the Chief Minister's post. He removed the turban in July 2024 after Nitish Kumar aligned with the BJP-led coalition. In July 2024, he was removed as state BJP president.
In January 2024, Samrat Choudhary became the BJP legislative party leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. He was given key portfolios including Finance, Health, Urban Development, and Panchayati Raj.
Choudhary has frequently been in the public eye. In 2023, he compared Rahul Gandhi's beard to Osama bin Laden. "Rahul Gandhi grows a beard like Osama bin Laden and thinks that he would become like Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he had said.
