A leader from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken oath as the new chief minister of eastern state of Bihar after veteran politician Nitish Kumar stepped down.
Samrat Choudhary, who was Kumar's deputy, has been sworn-in Bihar's first BJP chief minister.
Choudhary has held senior roles in the BJP, including that of the party's state president, and led major election campaigns in different states.
But he now has big shoes to fill. Kumar, one of Bihar's most influential leaders, was chief minister for the most part of the past two decades, often switching political alliances to stay in power.
With more than 74 million voters, Bihar is India's poorest state, with millions migrating to other parts of India for jobs. It is also among the few states in India where the BJP has not managed to form a government yet on its own.
