Bihar Gets First BJP Chief Minister As Samrat Choudhary Takes Oath

Samrat Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister until yesterday, on Wednesday took oath as Bihar Chief Minister, becoming the first BJP leader to occupy the top post in the state. Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath of office to Samrat Chaudhary at Lok Bhavan in Patna. The BJP has chief ministers in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi - all major Hindi heartland states with Bihar as the notable exception. That officially changed today with the elevation of BJP's Samrat Choudhary to the state's top post. On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, resigned as Chief Minister.