Patna, April 16 -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Samrat Choudhary was on Wednesday sworn in as the 24th chief minister of Bihar, along with two deputy chief ministers from the Janata Dal (United) in a low-key ceremony in Patna. A three-time MLA, Choudhary became the first BJP chief minister of Bihar. Along with him, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, a seven-time MLA, and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, a nine-time MLA, were also sworn in as deputy chief ministers. Governor Lt Gen (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain administered the oath of office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Choudhary and the two deputy CMs in separate posts on X. "Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Shri Samrat Chaudhary on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar! His energy, dedication to public service, and grassroots experience will prove extremely beneficial for the state," the PM said. "Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Shri Vijay Kumar Chaudhary ji and Shri Bijendra Prasad Yadav ji on taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar." Choudhary will have 29 portfolios, including crucial ones such as home and general administration department, according to the portfolio allocation notified on Wednesday. He will also handle cabinet secretariat, vigilance, revenue and land reforms, health, agriculture, urban development and housing, industries, road construction, tourism, art and culture and sports, the notification said. Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Chaudhary will head 10 departments, including water resources, parliamentary affairs, information and public relations, minority welfare and education. His colleague, deputy CM Bijendra Prasad Yadav, has been given eight departments, including energy, planning and development, excise and prohibition and finance. The development marks a departure from over two decades of politics centred around Nitish Kumar, who resigned as chief minister on Tuesday and was present at the swearing-in. Nitish Kumar had been sworn in for a record 10th term as Chief Minister on November 20, 2025, along with two deputy chief ministers and a 26-member cabinet, following a landslide NDA victory that secured 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly. In contrast, the new Cabinet has just three members-a BJP Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers from the JD(U)-in a reversal of roles from November, when Kumar led the government with BJP leaders as his deputies. "The cabinet expansion will take place after the elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. It may take some time, probably in the first week of May," two senior leaders from the BJP and JD(U) said. This is the second NDA government formed within five months, with the BJP and JD(U) effectively swapping the Chief Minister's position....