Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for a historic tenth term at Gandhi Maidan, joined by PM Modi, top ministers and key NDA leaders. Photo: ANI.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for 10th Term: Nitish Kumar has been sworn in as Bihar’s Chief Minister for a record tenth term. The oath-taking ceremony was held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, and chief ministers attended the grand event.
Born in 1951 in Kalyanbigha village of Nalanda district, Nitish Kumar grew up in a family deeply connected to politics. His father, Ram Lakhan Singh, was both a politician and an ayurveda practitioner who had been associated with the Congress. After being denied a party ticket, Singh quit politics “in frustration” and returned to selling ayurvedic medicines in Bakhtiyarpur, where the family eventually settled.
Nitish began his political journey during his engineering studies at the Bihar College of Engineering under Patna University. Drawn to student politics in the 1970s, he embraced the socialist ideology, then positioned in opposition to the Congress.
During his student years, Nitish became close to Lalu Prasad Yadav, who won the Patna University Students’ Union election in 1973 and later became general secretary of the student body. Lalu went on to head the Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti, an organisation linked with Jayaprakash Narayan’s non-cooperation movement.
When Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in July 1975, Nitish went underground to evade arrest. He was eventually detained in June 1976 and spent nine months in jail before his release in March 1977.
That same year, the Janata Party offered Nitish a ticket from Harnaut in the Bihar assembly elections. Nitish worked closely with Lalu in the early years and supported him when he became Leader of the Opposition in 1989. However, the partnership deteriorated as Nitish and several others grew disenchanted with Lalu’s growing dominance.
In 1994, Nitish orchestrated one of the earliest major rebellions against Lalu. A group of 14 MPs broke away under George Fernandes, forming Janata Dal (George), with Fernandes as the face and Nitish widely regarded as the strategist. The outfit soon transformed into the Samata Party, marking Nitish’s first decisive separation from Lalu.
In 1996, Nitish made a crucial move by aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He was given significant responsibilities in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government between 1998 and 2004, including the crucial portfolio of Railway Minister.
Nitish’s first stint as Chief Minister came in 2000, backed by the BJP-led NDA. But lacking the required numbers, his government collapsed within seven days.
Nitish made a strong comeback in 2005, ending Lalu Prasad’s 15-year rule.
He remained Chief Minister for nine uninterrupted years. In 2013, Nitish severed ties with the BJP after Narendra Modi emerged as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
The decision, driven by a combination of ideological positioning and political calculation, severely destabilised his coalition and threatened his hold on office.
By 2015, Nitish reunited with Lalu Prasad to revive the Mahagathbandhan. Together, they built a strong anti-BJP coalition, riding a massive electoral wave that brought them back to power. Nitish resumed the Chief Minister’s post with renewed authority.
In 2017, Nitish left the Mahagathbandhan and returned to the BJP. With the BJP’s support, he took the oath once again as Bihar CM.
In 2022, Nitish accused the BJP of attempting to engineer a split in the JD(U) and walked out of the alliance once more, rejoining the Mahagathbandhan.
The partnership lasted less than two years. By 2024, Nitish rejoined the NDA.
In 2025, his political calculations paid off again as he returned to power with support from the BJP and other NDA parties.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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