Nitish Kumar’s political career stands out as one of the most remarkable examples of endurance and strategic adaptability in India. Despite being mocked with labels such as “Paltu Chacha” and “Kursi Kumar” and even facing insults targeting his mental stability, he has consistently remained unshaken in his position as Bihar’s Chief Minister. Now preparing to take oath for a record tenth time, he continues to be the state’s most stable centre of power — a leader who has withstood every crisis, outlasted all rivals, and navigated shifting alliances without ever losing control of the Chief Minister’s chair.
Since 2005, Nitish Kumar has perfected the art of political repositioning. His image as an efficient administrator, his strong Extremely Backward Class support base, and his ability to repeatedly secure electoral victories ensured that alliances — whether the NDA or the Mahagathbandhan — were always compelled to accommodate him. No matter how alliances fractured or realigned, Nitish remained a constant force, demonstrating a rare combination of pragmatism, flexibility, and determination to stay relevant in a politically demanding state like Bihar.
Nitish began his journey in the Janata Dal, winning his first Assembly election in 1985. Though he initially supported Lalu Prasad Yadav’s rise, the partnership collapsed as Nitish and other leaders grew dissatisfied with Lalu’s dominance. In 1994, he quietly organised a major rebellion, leading to the formation of the Samata Party under George Fernandes’s leadership. This was his first decisive break from Lalu and the beginning of his independent political identity.
In 1996, Nitish aligned with the BJP, initiating a long and often turbulent association that would define much of his political trajectory. His administrative talent brought him prominent roles in the Vajpayee government between 1998 and 2004. His first attempt at becoming Chief Minister in 2000 was short-lived, lasting only seven days, but he returned strongly in 2005, ending Lalu’s long rule and ushering in what many consider a new developmental chapter for Bihar.
In 2013, Nitish surprised both his party and the national political landscape by severing ties with the BJP over Narendra Modi’s emergence as the party’s prime ministerial face. Although this decision destabilised his government, Nitish rebuilt himself politically. By 2015, he executed an unexpected comeback by joining hands once again with Lalu Prasad and forming the Mahagathbandhan, a grand alliance that swept the elections and reinstated Nitish as Chief Minister. However, the partnership was short-lived. In 2017, Nitish abruptly left the alliance and returned to the BJP, demonstrating once again his willingness to make sharp political turns to maintain his position.
In 2022, alleging attempts by the BJP to weaken the JD(U), he switched sides yet again and rejoined the Mahagathbandhan. But in 2024, with national political dynamics shifting, he returned to the NDA once more, a move widely viewed as predictable given his history. In 2025, his calculations proved correct yet again, as he led his alliance to victory and prepared to take the oath for the tenth time — a milestone unparalleled outside the Northeastern states.
Nitish’s long list of political shifts would ordinarily have ended another leader’s career, but instead, they reinforced his centrality in Bihar’s politics. Allies and opponents alike came to believe that opposing him was strategically riskier than accommodating him, which allowed him to retain influence through every political realignment.
Since re-entering the NDA in 2024, Nitish has expressed unusually warm support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, promising stability and loyalty in public speeches. Whether this commitment endures remains uncertain, given his history of frequent political recalibrations. Nevertheless, as he heads toward his tenth term as Chief Minister, one reality stands above debate: Nitish Kumar continues to dominate Bihar’s political landscape, remaining the state’s most skilled and undefeated practitioner of political survival.
