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NEW DELHI: Just 4 months aft starring the NDA to a sweeping triumph successful the Bihar elections, main curate Nitish Kumar has erstwhile again rewritten his governmental script.The seasoned person connected Thursday announced his determination to measurement down from the state’s apical occupation and caput to the Rajya Sabha, marking a important modulation for a person who has dominated Bihar’s authorities for astir of the past 2 decades.Nitish said helium had agelong harboured a tendency to go a subordinate of some Houses of the Bihar Legislative Assembly arsenic good arsenic some Houses of Parliament.“For much than 2 decades, you person consistently placed your spot and enactment successful me, and it is connected the spot of that spot that we person served Bihar and each of you with implicit dedication,” helium said connected his societal media account.“It was the powerfulness of your religion and enactment that has enabled Bihar contiguous to contiguous a caller magnitude of improvement and dignity.
For this, I person expressed my gratitude to you connected respective occasions successful the past arsenic well.”The determination comes little than 4 months aft Nitish led the NDA to a thunderous triumph successful the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, securing a monolithic bulk of 202 seats. On November 20, 2025, helium took oath for a grounds tenth word arsenic main minister, a milestone that reaffirmed his clasp implicit the state’s politics.Often described arsenic Bihar’s astir resilient governmental figure, Nitish Kumar has mastered the creation of survival, reinvention and governmental engineering similar fewer others successful modern politics.
At 75, helium present steps distant from the main minister’s seat aft what galore saw arsenic an emphatic electoral endorsement. His determination to the Rajya Sabha is expected erstwhile the caller word begins aft April 9, erstwhile outgoing members retire.Within the NDA, the modulation is being seen arsenic a cautiously timed alteration of defender that could let a caller enactment squad to settee successful earlier the adjacent governmental cycle. With Nitish shifting to Parliament, the doorway is unfastened for the Bharatiya Janata Party to name its ain main curate successful Bihar for the archetypal time.Potential successors see Bihar lawman main curate Samrat Choudhary and Union curate Nityanand Rai, some seen arsenic beardown contenders if the BJP takes implicit the apical post.At the aforesaid time, speculation has grown implicit the imaginable governmental debut of Nitish’s son, Nishant Kumar. Some wrong the confederation judge helium could beryllium considered for a lawman main minister’s role, though determination is nary clarity yet astir his presumption oregon responsibilities.
The 'nirantar' Nitish
For years, Nitish Kumar has remained the cardinal fig successful Bihar’s politics- a person who repeatedly returns to the apical contempt doubts, disapproval and shifting alliances.His representation arsenic “Sushasan Babu,” associated with development, stableness and restored instrumentality and order, has agelong shaped his governmental identity, adjacent arsenic critics argued that argumentation stagnation and governmental fatigue had begun to dull that sheen.Yet successful 2025, the verdict was emphatic.Despite being written disconnected galore times, Nitish erstwhile again emerged victorious with what supporters described arsenic a “lion majority”, reaffirming his spot astatine the centre of the state’s politics.
From technologist to governmental strategist
Born connected March 1, 1951, successful Bakhtiarpur, Nitish Kumar did not statesman with governmental ambition. Trained arsenic an electrical engineer, helium yet recovered his calling successful nationalist life.His governmental roots were shaped during the Emergency successful India imposed during the epoch of Indira Gandhi.
As portion of the question led by Jayaprakash Narayan, Nitish was among the thousands jailed during that period.He won his archetypal assembly predetermination successful 1985 from Harnaut and concisely supported Lalu Prasad Yadav successful 1989 earlier breaking away, opening a rivalry that would specify Bihar authorities for decades.In 1994 came a decisive turning point. Fourteen MPs broke distant nether George Fernandes successful the archetypal large rebellion against Lalu.
Insiders wide saw Nitish arsenic the strategist down the move.The radical soon formed the Samata Party, marking a decisive displacement successful his governmental trajectory.Two years later, Nitish made different large determination by aligning with the BJP successful 1996, the opening of a concern that would form, interruption and betterment repeatedly implicit the adjacent 3 decades.He aboriginal entered the furniture of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, holding the railway ministry and different portfolios betwixt 1998 and 2004.
His administrative attack and accent connected instrumentality and bid gradually helped physique his technocratic image.His archetypal effort astatine becoming main curate came successful 2000, but the NDA lacked numbers and his authorities fell successful conscionable 7 days.
Era that shaped Bihar
In 2005, Nitish returned to power, ending Lalu Prasad Yadav’s 15-year rule- a play often described by critics arsenic “jungle raj”.His triumph successful 2010 further consolidated his governmental dominance and established him arsenic the look of development-oriented authorities successful the state.Women-centred payment initiatives including bicycles, uniforms, prohibition, jobs and currency transfers became a large pillar of his governance model, creating what immoderate scholars picture arsenic a maternal payment state.Yet Nitish Kumar’s governmental vocation has been defined not lone by governance but besides by melodramatic shifts successful alliances.Since 1999, helium has switched betwixt the National Democratic Alliance and absorption formations specified arsenic the UPA oregon Mahagathbandhan aggregate times.The predominant realignments earned him the nickname “Paltu Kumar”.Now, with his determination to the Rajya Sabha, different section successful that agelong and unpredictable governmental travel begins.
