Lakhisarai (Bihar) [India], May 17 (ANI): Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar chose Samrat Choudhary as his successor, said Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, while expressing that a 'Viksit Bihar' is a promise which will be fulfilled under the leadership of Choudhary.

Addressing the public during a felicitation-cum-foundation stone laying and inauguration ceremony in Ramchandrapur, Singh said, 'The people of Bihar endorsed his (Nitish Kumar) work and allowed him to serve for 20 years. He also chose Samrat Choudhary as his successor to carry forward this legacy, and Samrat Choudhary has pledged to build a Viksit Bihar,' while adressing a gathering in Lakhisarai.

Ranjan highlighted the shift in Bihar's fiscal health under Kumar's leadership.

'Nitish Kumar ji became the Chief Minister in 2005. He inherited an empty treasury. At that time, Bihar's budget was a mere Rs 25,000 crore, which effectively dwindled to Rs 17,000-18,000 crore by the end of the year because the rest was lost to corruption. Today, under Nitish Kumar's leadership, Bihar's annual budget has reached Rs 3,33,000 crore. This transformation is a result of his governance,' Ranjan told the crowd.

He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Block-cum-Circle Office and Residential Building in Piparia Block of Lakhisarai District, worth 30 crore 74 lakh 17 thousand rupees.

'This state-of-the-art building will play an important role in making the administrative system more robust, transparent, and people-oriented, while providing better government services to ordinary citizens,' he said in a X post.

The inauguration of Mohanpur Higher Secondary School also took place, which he would give 'the area a new gift in the field of education.'

'These two important projects will provide new momentum to development, good governance, and the education system in the area,' he said.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar had taken oath as Chief Minister for a record 10th time on November 20. Later, he resigned from the Bihar Legislative Council on March 30 as part of his political transition.

Following the change in leadership, Samrat Choudhary was sworn in as the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister of Bihar, succeeding Nitish Kumar's 21-year tenure.

To balance power dynamics in the coalition, JD(U) veterans Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. (ANI)