PATNA, April 15 -- Samrat Choudhary, a third time Bihar MLA and a two-time deputy chief minister, on Tuesday staked claim before Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain for the formation of the new government in Bihar soon after being unanimously elected leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislature party. He will take oath on Wednesday. This followed his earlier unanimous election as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party, clearing his path to become the party's first-ever chief minister of Bihar. Before his elevation to the top, Choudhary was always regarded as No 2 in the Nitish government. He was also the pundits' first bet in predicting legendary CM's successor. 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 fulfil 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, tendered his resignation earlier in the day. 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 fulfils 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. Samrat Choudhary reiterated his commitment to stick to the BJP ideology and work with "India First" approach. "In my life, the BJP gave me several opportunities to serve. I have been working as a political worker for about 30 years, but there was no ideology by my side earlier. I have worked for the BJP since 2015. I assure the PM, home minister, party's national president, general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and party president Sanjay Saraogi that in keeping with the ideology of the BJP that puts India before everything else and prioritising the party," he added. He also appreciated Nitish Kumar. "Nitish Kumar taught a lot of things -- how the government is run, how good governance will be established in Bihar and what is good for democracy in Bihar. Working on the vision of Viksit Bharat of PM Modi and prosperous Bihar of Nitish Kumar, we will together make Bihar prosperous and make the country developed," he said in his address to legislators. Earlier in the afternoon, Kumar submitted his resignation after holding the outgoing government's last cabinet meeting at the Old Secretariat. In the meeting, Kumar reflected on his experiences spanning his 20-year tenure and described how he accelerated the pace of Bihar's development. He extended his congratulations to the new government and vowed to extend his full co-operation and guidance for Bihar's development in the future as well....