Bihar: The Indomitable Nitish Kumar

The multi-term chief minister set aside doubts over his health and force as a political power to drive the JD(U) to the top of the Bihar charts once again

Trends from the initial rounds of counting once again underscored Nitish Kumar’s enduring durability as a political force in Bihar, a state he has governed for 20 years.

The JD(U) was ahead in over 80 seats in Bihar. (ANI)

His Janata Dal (United) was ahead in 83 of Bihar’s 243 seats at 11.30am, emerging as the largest party in the state, significantly more than the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) 33 and ahead of even its alliance partner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which led in 78.

This marks a significant shift after his party ended up as only the third-largest in the 2020, with just 43 seats.

Experts said the victory set aside doubts over the veteran leader’s ability to turn goodwill into votes, despite concerns over his health.

“The 2010 election was Nitish Kumar’s zenith – JD(U) won 115 seats and BJP 91 to decimate the RJD. Repeating a similar performance speaks volumes of his acceptance levels,” said social analyst MK Choudhary.

Leaders in his party said Kumar worked quietly, under the radar.

“The credit goes to Nitish Kumar, for the way he campaigned across the state. He worked quietly, but the response of the people gave a feel that people had made up their mind to make all the noise through their votes. The mindset of the people has changed and they are more aspirational now, while the opposition kept treating them the old way,” said JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said Nitish Kumar’s charisma did not rely on identity politics, but on an “inclusive model to win over all sections”.

“If women are voting in such large numbers, that itself tells the story of the turnaround. The writing was on the wall, which the Opposition did not want to read,” he said.