Pushpam Priya Choudhary has emerged as one of Bihar’s most intriguing and unconventional political figures – a London-educated professional who declared herself Chief Minister candidate and founded her own political party to challenge Bihar’s traditional power structures. Born on June 13, 1987, in Vishunpur village, Darbhanga, she represents a new generation of educated leaders seeking to transform Bihar’s political landscape.
Early Life and Family Background
Pushpam Priya comes from a politically influential family deeply rooted in Bihar’s political ecosystem. Her father, Vinod Kumar Chaudhary, was a former Member of Legislative Council (MLC) from the Janata Dal (United) who served from 2008 to 2014. Tragically, her father passed away in July 2023 at the age of 68 at their Balbhadrapur residence in Laheriasarai.
Her family’s political connections run deep – her grandfather Umakant Chaudhary was a founding member of the Samata Party and had close ties with current Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during the party’s inception. Her paternal uncle, Binay Kumar Choudhary, currently serves as a JD(U) MLA from Benipur constituency. Despite these strong family connections to the ruling party, Pushpam chose to chart an independent political course.
Her mother, Dr Saroj Choudhary, is a professor, and she has an elder sister named Madhu Madhavi. The family represents the educated, intellectual class of Bihar that has traditionally been involved in both academia and politics.
Educational Journey: From Bihar to London
Pushpam completed her initial schooling at Holy Cross School in Darbhanga. Her academic excellence was evident from an early age, setting the foundation for her future educational pursuits abroad.
Undergraduate Studies at Symbiosis
She pursued her bachelor’s degree in Communication Design with specialisations in Socio-cultural Design (Development), User Experience Communication, and Graphic Design from Symbiosis International University in Pune from 2007 to 2011. This interdisciplinary education provided her with skills in visual communication and design thinking that would later influence her political messaging and campaign strategies.
Master’s Degrees in the United Kingdom
Pushpam’s international education journey began with her first master’s degree from the prestigious Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex in 2015-2016. She completed her MA in Development Studies with specialisations in Governance, Politics, Democracy, Development Economics, and Party-Voter Linkage Research. During this program, she conducted original field research on voting patterns and behaviour during Bihar’s 2015 Legislative Assembly elections.
Her academic journey culminated at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she earned her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from 2017 to 2019. Her coursework at LSE covered Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Public Administration, Feminist Political Theory, Political Communication, Social Policy, and Gender Studies.
Notably, during her time at LSE, she was offered an opportunity to pursue a dual degree at the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris, but she chose to remain at LSE to complete her studies.
Professional Career Before Politics
Early Government Service
After completing her undergraduate studies, Pushpam began her professional career working as a consultant with the Government of Bihar from August 2011 to August 2015. During this four-year stint, she gained valuable insights into Bihar’s administrative machinery and governance challenges, an experience that would later inform her political platform.
She initially worked with the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation before moving to other government departments. However, her ambitions extended beyond conventional bureaucratic roles, leading to her eventual decision to pursue higher education abroad.
International Career Opportunities
Following her LSE graduation, Pushpam received attractive job offers from multinational corporations, including one position in London with an annual package of Rs 8 crore. However, she chose to return to Bihar, driven by a desire to contribute to her home state’s development rather than pursue lucrative international career opportunities.
Political Entry: The Dramatic 2020 Debut
The Newspaper Advertisement that Shook Bihar
On March 8, 2020 – International Women’s Day – Pushpam made a dramatic entry into Bihar politics through full-page advertisements in major Hindi and English newspapers across the state. The advertisement, featuring the tagline “Love Bihar, Hate Politics? Join the most progressive political party. Plurals has arrived. Bihar deserves better and Better is possible,” announced her as “President, Plurals and CM candidate Bihar 2020”.
This unprecedented approach to political entry caught Bihar’s political establishment off guard and generated massive media attention. The advertisement was accompanied by a letter promising to make Bihar the most developed state by 2025 and achieve a growth rate comparable to European countries by 2030.
Formation of The Plurals Party
Coinciding with her public announcement, Pushpam founded The Plurals Party (TPP) with the ideology of pluralistic governance transcending caste and religious divisions. The party’s central policies focus on employment, education, healthcare, rural development, industrialisation, urban development, and inclusive participation of all communities.
The party was co-founded with Anupam Kumar Suman, a former civil servant who had served as special secretary to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar before resigning to join as the party’s General Secretary. This addition brought administrative experience and insider knowledge of Bihar’s governance machinery.
The 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections Campaign
Ambitious Electoral Strategy
The Plurals Party made its electoral debut by contesting all 243 seats in the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. This was an unprecedented move for a newly formed party, demonstrating Pushpam’s confidence in her message and organisational capabilities.
The party’s campaign centred around the slogan “Let’s Open Bihar” and highlighted “30 Years Lockdown” – referring to the state’s perceived stagnation under existing political leadership. Pushpam travelled extensively across Bihar, raising issues of closed industries, unproductive agriculture, ruined heritage, and unemployment.
Revolutionary Manifesto
On October 17, 2020, the party released its comprehensive manifesto titled “Bihar Total Transformation: 8 disa 8 pahar” (8 directions, 8 phases). The manifesto focused on revolutionary development across eight key sectors and represented a departure from traditional caste-based political promises.
Notably, the party opposed caste and religion-based politics, declaring candidates’ names alongside their professional qualifications rather than caste identities. This approach aligned with Pushpam’s vision of moving beyond identity politics toward competency-based governance.
Electoral Performance and Aftermath
Despite the extensive campaign and media attention, the Plurals Party faced electoral defeat across all contested seats. Pushpam herself contested from two constituencies – Bankipur (Patna) and Bisfi (Madhubani) – but was unsuccessful in both. The party’s performance was particularly disappointing, with many candidates receiving fewer votes than NOTA (None of the Above).
The electoral setback led to a period of political introspection and temporary withdrawal from active politics. However, the campaign established Pushpam as a recognisable figure in Bihar’s political discourse and demonstrated the challenges faced by new entrants in the state’s entrenched political system.
Personal Challenges and Loss
In July 2023, Pushpam faced a significant personal loss when her father, Vinod Kumar Chaudhary, passed away at the age of 68. Her emotional tribute on social media revealed the complex relationship between her political aspirations and family dynamics. In a poignant tweet, she wrote: “He often asked me to share at least one photo with him. I always said our political ideals and principles don’t match. Today neither he remains nor our political differences remain. He suddenly left us yesterday”.
The loss of her father, who had been a stabilising influence despite their political differences, marked a turning point in her personal and political journey. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar personally came to her home and expressed condolences and spoke with family members, highlighting the respect Vinod Chaudhary commanded across party lines.
Current Political Activities and 2025 Preparations
After a period of relative quiet following the 2020 defeat, Pushpam has re-emerged as an active political force ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. In July 2025, she announced her party’s intention to contest all 243 seats once again, demonstrating continued commitment to her political vision.
The Mask Symbol and Gender Politics
One of Pushpam’s most distinctive features is her consistent wearing of a mask during public appearances. She has explained this as a response to critics who, after her 2020 defeat, suggested she was “not worth showing her face” and accused her of leveraging her appearance for political gain.
She has declared that she will remove the mask only when either the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) or the INDIA alliance declares a woman as their Chief Minister candidate. This symbolic gesture highlights her focus on gender representation in Bihar politics, where only one woman – Rabri Devi – has served as Chief Minister, and that too under special circumstances.
The Whistle Symbol and Development Narrative
The Election Commission has allocated the whistle as The Plurals Party’s official election symbol for 2025, replacing the chess piece symbol used in 2020. Pushpam has described the whistle as “the whistle of Bihar’s development,” symbolising the start of industrial engines, school bells calling students, and sports referees’ signals.
This symbolism aligns with her narrative that Bihar needs an industrial and educational revolution to achieve meaningful development.
Current Political Positions and Agenda
Women’s Representation Initiative
For the 2025 elections, Pushpam has announced that The Plurals Party will field women candidates on 122 out of 243 seats – exactly 50% representation. This would be unprecedented in Indian electoral history and reflects her commitment to gender parity in political representation.
She has challenged both major political alliances to match this commitment and declare women Chief Minister candidates, arguing that when women constitute 50% of the population, they deserve proportional political representation.
Core Political Issues
Pushpam’s political agenda remains focused on:
Economic Transformation: Promoting industrialisation and IT revolution in Bihar
Employment Generation: Creating job opportunities for Bihar’s youth
Educational Reform: Modernising Bihar’s educational infrastructure
Corruption-Free Governance: Ensuring no candidate with criminal records receives party tickets
Merit-Based Politics: Moving beyond caste and religious considerations
Criticism of Established Leaders
Pushpam has been particularly critical of other political figures positioning themselves as agents of change. She has targeted Prashant Kishor (political strategist launching his own party), Chirag Paswan (LJP leader), and Kanhaiya Kumar (former JNUSU president turned politician), arguing that they represent old wine in new bottles rather than genuine transformation.
Her criticism of Prashant Kishor is particularly pointed, accusing him of copying her party’s manifesto and agenda while lacking grassroots connection. She has characterised him as a “political businessman” rather than a genuine public servant.
Political Leadership Role
As President of The Plurals Party, Pushpam continues to lead organisational activities, policy formulation, and electoral preparations. Her party maintains its registration and continues to function as a recognised political entity in Bihar.
Public Speaking and Advocacy
She remains active in public discourse through:
Social Media Engagement: Maintaining an active presence on Twitter/X (@pushpampc13) with over 518,000 followers
Media Interviews: Regular appearances on news channels discussing Bihar politics and policy issues
Public Speaking: Participation in political events and forums across Bihar
Policy Research and Writing
Drawing on her academic background, Pushpam continues to engage in policy research and analysis, particularly focusing on Bihar’s development challenges and governance reforms. Her educational background in development studies and public administration provides her with analytical tools to critique current policies and propose alternatives.
Challenges and Criticisms
Critics question the electoral viability of The Plurals Party given its poor performance in 2020. The party’s inability to win even a single seat despite contesting all constituencies raises questions about its grassroots appeal and organisational strength.
Elite vs. Grassroots Disconnect
Some observers argue that Pushpam’s international education and upper-middle-class background create a disconnect with Bihar’s predominantly rural and working-class electorate. Her sophisticated policy proposals may not resonate with voters primarily concerned with immediate economic challenges.
Financial Sustainability
Running a political party requires significant financial resources, and questions remain about The Plurals Party’s funding sources and financial sustainability, especially after the expensive 2020 campaign.
Future Prospects and Significance
For the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Pushpam appears to be adopting a more targeted approach while maintaining her commitment to contesting all seats. Her focus on women’s representation and corruption-free politics may find resonance with urban, educated voters and women constituents.
Long-term Political Vision
Beyond immediate electoral considerations, Pushpam represents an attempt to introduce policy-driven, ideological politics in Bihar’s traditionally personality and caste-centered political landscape. Her emphasis on merit, development, and gender equality challenges established political norms.
Influence on Political Discourse
Even if electoral success remains elusive, Pushpam has succeeded in influencing political discourse in Bihar. Her emphasis on industrialisation, women’s representation, and corruption-free governance has forced established parties to address these issues in their own platforms.
Personal Life and Interests
Pushpam maintains relative privacy about her personal relationships and lifestyle. She keeps her personal life away from public scrutiny. Her social media presence focuses primarily on political and policy issues rather than personal matters.
Her interests include development economics, feminist political theory, and comparative governance systems – reflecting her academic background and policy orientation.
A Unique Political Experiment
Pushpam Priya Choudhary represents a unique experiment in Indian politics – an internationally educated, policy-oriented leader attempting to introduce programmatic governance in a state known for personality-driven and caste-based politics. While her electoral success remains limited, her impact on Bihar’s political discourse is undeniable.
Her journey from London’s prestigious universities to Bihar’s dusty campaign trails illustrates both the opportunities and challenges facing India’s new generation of political leaders. Whether she can translate her academic credentials and policy vision into electoral success in 2025 remains to be seen. Still, her persistence in challenging Bihar’s political status quo continues to make her a significant figure in the state’s evolving political landscape.
As Bihar prepares for its next electoral cycle, Pushpam Priya Choudhary stands as a symbol of aspirational politics – representing those who believe that education, merit, and progressive policies can overcome traditional political divisions. Her story embodies both the promise and the perils of attempting to transform Indian democracy from within its own electoral framework.
