Gandhi family is India's Gabbar Singh; in Bihar, it is Lalu Prasad's family

AMONG THE CURRENT breed of BJP leaders in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary stands the tallest.

- PRATUL SHARMA

Quite literally as well—he is 6'4". As deputy chief minister, Choudhary is the OBC face of the party in the state and is likely to lead the chief minister's race when the BJP gets an opportunity to anoint its own. His father Shakuni Choudhary was MLA six times, primarily from the RJD, with stints in the Congress and the Samata Party. His mother Parvati Devi was also an MLA. Choudhary, too, was with the RJD before joining the BJP in 2017. He served as BJP state chief and also as leader of opposition. Though a member of the legislative council, he will be contesting from Tarapur, his family pocket borough. Excerpts from an interview:

Q Every election feels like a challenge. How do you assess this one?

For the past 35 years, Bihar's politics has revolved around social justice and development, ever since Lalu Prasad's rise. He kept talking about social justice but never delivered it. Lalu ji only builds perceptions. He takes credit for the Mandal Commission, but the credit really goes to (former prime minister) V.P. Singh and the BJP, which had 84 MPs then and supported it in Delhi. The BJP has always believed that we are both 'Mandalwadi' and 'Kamandalwadi'—we uphold social justice and spirituality together. It is the NDA's duty to make both India and Bihar strong and prosperous.

Q What are your main issues this election?

Only development. Development and delivery. We have worked on it, delivered it and fulfilled people's basic needs. That is our focus.

Q You are contesting polls after 2010. The BJP has given you a big responsibility.