PATNA: Over the past five decades, Nitish Kumar has carved out a political journey marked by remarkable resilience and an uncanny ability to stage comebacks just when many believed his career had reached its end. Few leaders in post-Mandal India have demonstrated his capacity to reinvent themselves while navigating shifting political landscapes.
Often described as an unconventional product of the Mandal era, Kumar distinguished himself from his contemporaries by prioritising governance over rhetoric—though critics frequently accused him of political flip-flops. Whether seen as strategic wisdom or sheer opportunism, his decisions have ensured that the BJP, despite commanding a dominant national presence, has never managed to appoint its own chief minister in Bihar. Even in the recent assembly elections, where the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats against the JD(U)’s 85, Kumar’s influence remained undeniable.
Having ruled Bihar for nearly 19 years, he stands among India’s ten longest-serving chief ministers. His shifting alliances over the years earned him the moniker “Paltu Ram,” even as admirers hailed him as “Sushashan Babu” for his governance reforms.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his JD(U) matched the BJP’s seat tally despite contesting one fewer seat—an outcome that made the BJP heavily dependent on its ally for survival at the Centre after falling short of a majority.
An engineer by education and a participant in the JP movement, Kumar declined a government job to pursue what was then an unusual path for young, educated Biharis—full-time politics. While his peers from the movement, including Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, rose swiftly, electoral success eluded Kumar in the early years. He finally entered the assembly in 1985 from Harnaut as a Lok Dal candidate after three failed attempts, and in 1989, he made his debut in the Lok Sabha representing Barh.
Meanwhile, Lalu Prasad dominated Bihar politics through the 1990s, even installing his wife Rabri Devi as chief minister when legal troubles forced him to step down. During this period, Kumar severed ties with Lalu, formed the Samata Party, and painstakingly built his own organisation. Aligning with the BJP, he earned recognition in Parliament for his articulate leadership. The Samata Party later merged with the Janata Dal (United) while retaining its alliance with the BJP.
The NDA’s loss in 2004 set the stage for a political revival in Bihar. After a fractured mandate in the February 2005 polls and the controversial dissolution of the assembly by Governor Buta Singh, fresh elections later that year proved decisive. Kumar, projected as the NDA’s chief ministerial face, led the JD(U)-BJP combine to victory, closing the curtain on the Lalu-Rabri era.
His first tenure as chief minister is still remembered for significant improvements in law and order. Recognising that he lacked the demographic advantage enjoyed by Lalu, Kumar strengthened his social coalition by creating sub-quotas for Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Mahadalits. His welfare schemes—such as free bicycles and uniforms for schoolgirls—won widespread praise and propelled the NDA to a sweeping victory in 2010.
The alliance unraveled in 2013 when he broke ties with the BJP following Narendra Modi’s rise as the party’s prime ministerial face. Though he survived a trust vote with Congress support, he resigned in 2014, taking responsibility for the JD(U)’s poor Lok Sabha performance. Yet within months, he was back, replacing Jitan Ram Manjhi with help from the RJD and Congress.
The Grand Alliance of JD(U)-RJD-Congress secured a massive win in 2015, only to collapse two years later when Kumar demanded clarification from Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav over corruption allegations. After resigning abruptly, he returned as CM within 24 hours with BJP’s backing—another dramatic twist in his political odyssey.
His cross-ideological acceptability was evident again in 2022 when he exited the NDA accusing the BJP of attempting to split the JD(U). He then joined hands with the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, emerging as a key architect of the INDIA bloc. But true to his unpredictable style, Kumar abandoned the coalition when he felt his stature was being undermined—and the NDA welcomed him back without hesitation.
Nitish Kumar’s political saga remains one of constant reinvention, tactical shifts, and unmatched survival instincts—traits that have ensured he continues to rise, time and again, like the proverbial phoenix.
