Nitish Kumar: Bihar’s Tiger who survives every storm

The 2025 Bihar assembly election results have once again underscored Bihar's veteran political leader Nitish Kumar’s indomitable grip on the state’s volatile politics, and his enduring political brand.

Even as the Bhartiya Janata Party leadership demurred over publicly projecting him as the chief ministerial face during the campaign — unsure if he still commanded popular support — this wily strategist has proved them wrong. It's no surprise then that JD(U)'s new posters across Bihar hail him as the “Tiger of Bihar” who still endures.

Survivor or strategist?

Over a four‑decade career, Nitish Kumar not only built a reputation as 'Sushasan Babu' for his early governance reforms, such as giving bicycles to girls to lower female illiteracy and his big crackdown on crime, he has also earned the less flattering title of 'Paltu Ram' for his audacious alliance switches. But, he is also known for being a man who has mastered political engineering deftly making and breaking alliances, deploying secularism and anti‑corruption as cards that served him well.

An engineer-turned-politician, he has navigated nearly every coalition imaginable. In the past 25 years, he has taken oath as Chief Minister nine times — seven with BJP support and twice with RJD — a testament to his survival skills in Bihar’s choppy political arena. Critics may call him opportunistic, but analysts argue he has artfully balanced governance with coalition management.

Birth of a leader

Nitish Kumar was born on March 1, 1951, in Bihar's Bakhtiarpur to Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh and Parmeshwari Devi. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT Patna) in 1972. A year later, he married Manju Kumari Sinha, a teacher, and the couple had one son, Nishant. His wife died in 2007.

As a young man, Nitish Kumar was not keen on joining politics. He was more interested in a well-paid steady job, said reports. However, he was inspired first by Ram Manohar Lohia's writings and later by Jayaprakash Narayan's call for a revolution, which drew him into politics.

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Nitish Kumar’s political journey began with the JP Movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan in the mid‑1970s, which galvanized students across Patna against authoritarianism. Slightly junior to Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was already a popular student leader, Nitish was seen as sharp and thoughtful, learning the ropes of mass politics.

Both were arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) in 1974 and again during the Emergency in 1975.

Lalu's 'Chanakya'

The friendship between Lalu and Nitish was unshakeable. Lalu surged ahead by winning a Lok Sabha seat in 1977, while Nitish secured his first electoral victory in 1985 as MLA from Harnaut, followed by a Lok Sabha win from Barh in 1989.

Nitish, who was often referred to as “Chanakya", played a key role in making Lalu Chief Minister in 1990.

However, cracks started to appear in their friendship by 1994. By the early 1990s, Lalu’s rule in Bihar had become centered around the Yadav community, which dominated jobs, contracts, licences, and the public sector. Nitish, along with a few others, demanded a government that represented all backward communities, not just the Yadavs.

Nitish resigned from the Janata Dal and co‑founded the Samata Party with George Fernandes.

In 1994, Nitish Kumar’s Samata Party allied with the BJP, contesting elections with mixed results. Lalu, riding the Mandal wave, stayed in power through the 1990s, even making his wife, Rabri Devi, Chief Minister in 1997, after the fodder scam forced him to step down. Lalu quit the Janata Dal and formed the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Also read: Bihar election: NDA blazes past majority mark as Nitish bucks anti-incumbency

Nitish, after several setbacks, ended 15 years of the so-called "jungle raj" in Bihar with the JD(U)-BJP alliance's triumph in 2005.

Reunion of old friends

However, in 2014, the two former foes reunited on stage during a rally in Hajipur. They formed the Mahagathbandhan, registering a spectacular victory in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections.

Within two years, the biggest political experiment, which had been successful, crumbled. Nitish quit the Mahagathbandhan and joined the NDA in 2017. Just when political observers thought Nitish was firmly tied to the NDA, he quit them to form an alliance with RJD again in 2022, only to return to the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections.

Union minister stint

Before becoming CM, Nitish has served as a cabinet minister at the Centre under the NDA government, handling Railways (1998-1999, 2001-2004), Surface Transport (1998-1999), and agriculture (1999-2000). As the railways minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, he introduced reforms like online ticket booking, which boosted his national profile

He resigned as Railway Minister in August 1999 following the Gaisal train disaster.

Bihar chief minister

On March 3, 2000, Nitish was sworn in as Bihar chief minister for his maiden term. It lasted only seven days after Nitish, faced with the lack of numbers, resigned.

In 2003, the Samata Party merged to become Janata Dal (United). In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish was elected from Nalanda but lost from Barh. It was in 2005, he got his first big win in Bihar after the JD(U)-BJP coalition defeated RJD in 2005.

Also read: Do Bihar’s women really have Nitish’s back? Their ‘empowerment’ is just hype

Nitish was sworn in as the chief minister for his first full term. He was re-elected in 2010 with a landslide victory, and the JDU-BJP coalition juggernaut reduced RJD to 22 seats.

Problem with Modi

Notably, in 2013, Nitish parted ways with the BJP over Narendra Modi's prime ministerial candidacy. Why did Nitish dislike Modi back then?

According to experts, he considered Modi a “communal maverick” who would scare his carefully nurtured minority voter. There also existed between the two an undeclared war over the prime ministerial stakes for 2014, and a one-upmanship that came out in the open.

For instance, in the summer of 2010, Nitish was angry when Modi put an advertisement in local papers bragging about Gujarat’s flood-relief aid to Bihar. The incident sparked off a crisis that nearly broke the JD(U) BJP alliance. He returned the Rs 5 crore cheque saying, "We have an alliance with the BJP, not the Gujarat BJP.”

However, after the 2024 national elections, Nitish's JD(U) offered crucial support for the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.

Tryst with Mahagathbandan

His political flip-flops led to the formation of the Mahagathbandan.

In 2015, Nitish split from the BJP and formed the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) with RJD and Congress. He led the Grand Alliance to victory in the 2015 state polls. In 2017, he ended the alliance with RJD over corruption allegations against deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, rejoined the NDA, and resumed office the same day.

In the 2020 polls, Nitish Kumar-led NDA to victory to return as chief minister. Then, in August 2022, he resigned, left NDA, and rejoined the Mahagathbandhan, forming a new coalition government.

On January 28, 2024, he resigned from Mahagathbandhan, rejoined the NDA, and was sworn in as Chief Minister for the ninth time.

Strengths, weakness

Analysts say Nitish Kumar’s strength lies in a carefully cultivated social coalitions such as the Kurmi‑Koeri communities, the extremely Backward Classes, Mahadalits and Women voters. These groups have largely remained loyal, drawn by his relatively clean image and development‑focused governance.

According to analysts, Nitish understands caste arithmetic like few others, successfully navigating Bihar’s complex social fabric and stitching alliances even with former foes.

His weakness lies in the fact that he has rarely formed a government on his own. He also faces criticism from younger voters for failing to generate jobs. However, his ability to build coalitions has ensured his survival, say political observers.

Ultimately, Nitish's career reflects the paradox of Bihar politics: a leader seen as both opportunistic and indispensable, trying to balance governance with pragmatism in one of India's poorest states.