PATNA, April 15 -- Samrat Choudhary was unanimously elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party on Tuesday, clearing his path to become the party's first-ever chief minister of Bihar. Lawmakers of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also met later in the evening and endorsed his name as the coalition's leader in the assembly and the chief minister. Choudhary, who has been the state's deputy CM since January 2024, is set to take the oath of office on Wednesday morning. In his first reaction on X, Choudhary thanked the BJP leadership for trusting him to the state's top executive post. "This is not merely a position for me, but a sacred opportunity to serve the people of Bihar, to fulfill their trust and dreams. I pledge to live up to the expectations of one and all with complete dedication, commitment, and integrity," he said in a post on X. The meeting of the BJP legislature party came hours after Nitish Kumar, who moved to the Rajya Sabha after a historic stint at the state's helm that spanned two decades. At the meeting, Choudhary's name was proposed by fellow deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and seconded by senior leaders Renu Devi and Mangal Pandey. Union minister and central observer Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the formal announcement, calling it a "historic moment" that fulfills the dreams of workers since the Jana Sangh era. "This is an emotional moment," said Chouhan. "These are historic moments. Workers who have helped build the BJP organisation since the Jana Sangh days are seeing their dreams being realised today. Their resolve is complete today. I congratulate Samrat Choudhary," he said. Earlier in the afternoon, Kumar submitted his resignation letter to governor Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) after holding the outgoing government's last cabinet meeting. Kumar reflected on his experiences spanning his 20-year tenure and described how he accelerated the pace of Bihar's development. Soon after tendering his resignation, Kumar said, "We did a lot of work for the people of Bihar and a lot more will be done in the state in the days to come, and Bihar will advance a great deal," in a post on X, his last as the CM. Expressing gratitude and extending his best wishes to all, Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, said, "After today's cabinet meeting, I met the Governor and submitted my resignation to him. Now the new government will take Bihar forward." He said that for the next five years, from 2025 to 2030, the framework of '7 Nishchay-3' has been prepared to further accelerate development in the state. "The Centre is also providing full cooperation in Bihar's development. For this, we thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With faster development, Bihar will join the league of top states and contribute to the nation's progress," he said....