Nitish Kumar's age, health, and every mannerism was scrutinised during the Bihar election campaign, placing him at the nub of the chatter — from speculation that he wasn't well enough, to claims by rivals that he won't be CM anyway. Prashant Kishor bet his entire political career on it, saying he would quit politics of JD(U) got more than 25 seats and if Nitish became CM again.
Even in criticism or absentia, Nitish, at 74, remained the main character. A lot was still riding on the numbers, though.
With the JD(U) on its own crossing the 80 mark in the 243-strong House, just four seats behind the BJP's 89, Nitish Kumar looks set to take oath as Bihar's chief minister a tenth time after the NDA wiped out the opposition RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in the results that came in on Friday, November 14.
Not only does he have the numbers in Bihar to fluff away all the theories that stuck, but it's a reminder also that he continues to be a key ally for the BJP at the Centre.
His 12 MPs are among those that helped PM Narendra Modi remain in the chair despite the BJP falling short of majority in the Lok Sabha election of 2024.
Chirag sees new light in Nitish
{{/usCountry}}His 12 MPs are among those that helped PM Narendra Modi remain in the chair despite the BJP falling short of majority in the Lok Sabha election of 2024.
Chirag sees new light in Nitish
{{/usCountry}}On the ground, in the immediate, a big sign of Nitish's continuing relevance came the morning after the results, when Modi's minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, with 19 seats, called on him at his residence in Patna. Nitish has to be onboard apparently for Chirag to get a deputy CM's post for his party. The BJP had two deputy CMs in the incumbent government
Things have changed dramatically here.
Five years ago, in the 2020 election, an undivided LJP was focused squarely on denting the JD(U) and remained out of the NDA for this reason. This, even when Chirag, the 43-year-old son of Nitish's one-time socialist colleague the late Ram Vilas Paswan, professed extreme love for Modi and the BJP.
On Saturday, Chirag Paswan said his party discussed government formation with Nitish.
“I am delighted that the CM appreciated the role of every alliance partner in the NDA. He supported the LJP(RV) candidate when he went to vote (in Bakhtiyarpur segment). In Alauli, where I vote, I supported the JD(U) candidate," he said, adding, “This shows that those who were misleading (the people) regarding JD(U) and LJP(RV) were just setting a false narrative.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, in his victory speech in Delhi after the results, prominently credited Nitish Kumar's “good governance” for the win, among other factors.
The NDA had largely been wary of making an outright announcement that Nitish was the 2025 CM face too, but its assertion of his record became more and more prominent as the voting dates neared.
The opposition, such as RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, obliquely referred to his age and allegedly deteriorating health. Videos on social media focused on moments where his age showed or he missed a beat on stage or otherwise.
‘Stamp of approval’ for Nitish Kumar
But senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a close aide of Nitish Kumar, attested to his role as the numbers rolled in.
How did he see the landslide verdict for the NDA, Vijay Chaudhary, a minister in the incumbent NDA regime, was asked. “It is a stamp of approval for the brand of development politics Nitish Kumar has done in Bihar over the past two decades. And above all, it is also an example of Nitish Kumar’s acceptance as a leader who has no match in the eyes of the people,” he told HT.
“Nitish Kumar has a vision and he works accordingly. NDA remained a cohesive unit and the enthusiastic response of the people encouraged us from the outset. What Nitish has done over the years is that he has made people aspirational. They now want more development, more growth. The opposition mistook it for anti-incumbency, while it was a huge pro-incumbency, as they have expectations from Nitish Kumar, who has always delivered,” he further said.
On the future, Vijay Chaudhary said, “Bihar now has got its basics right and the next phase would be to take it on the path of rapid development... Nitish Kumar has been fully in command, as his actions in terms of welfare initiatives and development projects indicate."
Nitish, in his X post after the win, said, “I bow to all the esteemed voters of the state, and express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks.”
His gratitude list included PM Modi and all the allies, including Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi of the HAM(S) and Upendra Kushwaha of the RLM. The latter two got five and four seats, respectively, taking the NDA to 202, its highest since its score of 206 in the 2010 election.
"I knew that the NDA always had the edge, but no one could have predicted this Nitish avalanche,” NK Chowdhary, a political analyst told HT. “This has several lessons for everyone. The good governance by Nitish has paid off. The BJP, which was reluctant to name him as the NDA's chief ministerial candidate for 2025, has been told by the Bihar electorate that they could not push around their leader.”
Know Nitish Kumar: Past and future
- Start from JP movement: Having emerged from the Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) Movement of the 1970s, Nitish entered electoral politics in the early 1980s, winning his first assembly election from Harnaut in 1985, later serving as a member of Parliament for Barh and Nalanda.
- Stays in Upper House: his Since 2006, he has been a member of the Bihar legislative council (MLC), choosing not to contest assembly elections directly, a rare move for a sitting chief minister to remain in the Upper House.
- Many turns: Nitish Kumar has changed his allies as he deems fit. He parted ways with the BJP in 2013 after Narendra Modi’s emergence as the party’s national face, only to ally with fellow JP movement product Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and the Congress for the 2015 election, forming the Mahagathbandhan. He returned to the NDA a couple of years later, and they won together again in 2020. Then came a blip back to the MGB, but then he was back to the NDA.
Ahead of the results, hoardings featuring Nitish roared in Patna: “Tiger zinda hai.” It was dramatic, but not hyperbole after all.