Nitish Kumar has resigned as Chief Minister after 21 years. Yesterday, on 14 April, he went to Raj Bhavan, met Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, handed over his resignation. Just like that, one long epoch is over.
Nitish has been the face of Bihar for multiple years. Everybody remember how bad things were in the 90s. Jungle raj, kidnappings, nothing worked. He came and gently changed so much. Girls started cycling to school, roads got built, electricity reached small villages, crime dropped. A lot of us who have family in Bihar saw some real hope during his time. But later years brought their own problems – too many alliance flips, unemployment still high, young boys and girls still leaving the state for work. That “Paltu Ram” tag also stuck on him. At 75, after moving to Rajya Sabha, he finally decided it’s time to step back. He even told everyone he’ll give full support and guidance to the new team.
Right after Nitish resigned, the BJP MLAs had a meeting. They chose Samrat Choudhary as their legislature party leader – unanimously. Vijay Sinha proposed his name and everyone agreed. So now Samrat is all set to become the next Chief Minister of Bihar, most likely taking oath today on 15th April. This is actually historic. First time a BJP leader is becoming CM of Bihar directly. Not supporting from outside, but sitting in the main chair.
Samrat Choudhary is 57, from Munger, real name Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary. He has been Deputy CM for some time now, handling heavy departments like Finance, Health, Urban Development. He started politics long back with RJD, then moved around, and has been solid with BJP in recent years. He has Kurmi background, which matters a lot in Bihar’s caste politics. He knows the ground well, has worked closely with Nitish, so there will be some continuity. Today he thanked the party and said he’s grateful and ready to work for the people of Bihar.
For many Biharis, this change brings mixed feelings. Some are happy – fresh face, new energy, strong central backing. Some are worried – will the development work that Nitish started keep going smoothly? Will jobs come? Will the roads, schools, hospitals keep improving? Will the floods still destroy everything every year? These are real questions that every common person – the farmer, the student, the rickshaw wala, the mother – is thinking about.
It’s always been about caste, alliances, strong leaders. Nitish dominated for two decades. Now the game is changing. BJP is in the driving seat in this big state. RJD and Tejashwi side will obviously attack hard, call it “handover to BJP”, and try to corner the new government. But the NDA has a good majority after the last elections, so Samrat starts with a strong position.
What Bihar really needs now is not just speeches but actual results – more factories, better colleges, stopping migration, real opportunities so that our boys and girls don’t have to run to Delhi, Punjab or Mumbai for basic jobs. The foundation is there thanks to Nitish. Now the new team has to build on it and do even better.
Development is not just statistics – it’s about whether a mother can send her daughter to school safely, whether a farmer gets fair price, whether a young boy gets a job near home.
Samrat has big responsibilities on his shoulders. He has experience, he knows the state, but delivering for 13 crore people is never easy. Let’s see how he performs in the coming months.
Nitish’s chapter is closed. A new one is starting. I genuinely hope it’s good for the common Bihari – not for parties, not for leaders, but for the people who wake up every day and work hard.
Sources:
The Hindu, India Today, Hindustan Times, Times of India, NDTV, ANI reports from Patna – 14 April 2026 Updates.
