Samrat Choudhary takes charge as Bihar's first BJP Chief Minister
BIHAR LIQUOR BAN: Is Bihar going to have a relook at its prohibition policy, brought in by former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar? The buzz that Bihar can permit the sale of liquor has heated up even as BJP Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary assumed office on Wednesday. The demand to repeal the liquor ban in Bihar was popularised online even before Choudhary assumed office. This tale concerns the increasing demands and the buzz, and no official response on the matter as of yet.
This was further fueled by the fact that Mokama MLA Anant Singh, who is also known as Bahubali, came out in strong support of the move when he told reporters, “Liquor must be made available again. Anant Singh also said that he would speak to the new CM on this issue.
Even before becoming the CM, Samrat Choudhary had admitted that the hit to the government earnings was due to the prohibition. This is what a part of the population is interpreting as an indication that he may be considering lifting the ban on selling liquor in Bihar. Choudhary had, however, supported Nitish Kumar on prohibition, labelling it as one of the strongest decisions made by the latter.
The call to lift the prohibition of liquor is not a new one in Bihar. In the 2025 Assembly election, Jan Suraaj founder and former poll strategist Prashant Kishor had told The Indian Express that his party would lift the alcohol ban within minutes of assuming office and the RJD-Congress alliance manifesto had assured a re-evaluation of the matter.
These demands re-emerged in Bihar with Nitish Kumar, the most vocal supporter of the policy, resigning. It was even criticized by some that it was not implemented in a systematic manner. They too claimed that this contributed to the growth of the black market in liquor.
While campaigning for the Bihar Assembly election in 2025, Choudhary admitted to a journalist that Bihar never really enforced prohibition all that strictly. Still, he insisted the policy brought real peace to the state. He called it part of Gandhi’s vision and said banning liquor was probably the biggest move Nitish Kumar ever made as a leader.
When people complained about poor enforcement, Choudhary shrugged it off: “Who doesn’t steal? Let those who steal keep stealing.” In his view, a few rule-breakers don’t take away from the bigger purpose.
Choudhary also pointed out that the liquor ban costs Bihar around Rs 28,000 to 30,000 crore every year, no small loss for a state whose total revenue isn’t even Rs 70,000 crore.
On April 5, 2016, the Bihar government officially introduced a complete prohibition on the production, sale, transportation and consumption of all forms of alcohol. This initiative was passed under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a campaign promise to improve the health of people and minimise domestic violence.
First Ban (April 1, 2016): Firstly, the government has prohibited country-made liquor (locally brewed alcohol). Total Prohibition (April 5, 2016): A few days later, Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) was banned as well, turning Bihar into a dry state altogether.
Legal Challenges (September 2016): The ban was briefly struck down on September 30, 2016, by the Patna High Court which declared it to be illegal and unconstitutional.
New Legislation (October 2, 2016): The state of Bihar went round the court order by passing the stricter Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, which is still in effect today.
Amendments: In 2018 and 2022, the state proposed the amendments to make the law a bit less draconian. As an example, new criminals may now frequently pay a fine (excuseable with a fine of ₹50,000 and later ₹25,000) instead of being sent to jail.
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