Nitish did not project Samrat as new CM: Bihar minister

PATNA: (Mar 19) Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary rejected suggestions that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is expected to step down soon to enter the Rajya Sabha, has projected his deputy Samrat Choudhary as his successor.

Kumar had, during his tour of Jamui district on Wednesday as part of the Samriddhi Yatra, pointed towards Samrat Choudhary, a senior BJP leader, and remarked, "He shall be looking after Bihar and the state will make tremendous progress."

This led to speculation in a section of the media that Kumar, who heads the JD(U), was hinting that he wanted his deputy as the new CM.