10 times and counting...: From 'Sushasan Babu' to 'Paltu-ram' to 'forever Bihar CM', Nitish Kumar and his many lives

Bihar and its bond with'Sushasan Babu'' has started to look like an unbreakable one. Taunted as 'Biden of Bihar' ahead of the high-octane Bihar Elections 2025, Nitish has proved that he is the only hero the state has. A product of the JP movement, his remarkable career began way back in 1985 and the story continues with Nitish having sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state for the tenth time. He was first sworn in as CM in 2000 for only seven days. The love for 'kursi' in those seven days became one of the most well-known love stories of Indian political corridors. Although the love story has many thorns picked by Nitish himself, even at the cost of transforming himself from 'Sushasan Babu' to 'Palturam'.

9 times and counting…

Beginning under the aegis of Janata Dal, Nitish Kumar began his political journey when he won his first Assembly election in 1985. His name was already a buzz in the lanes of Patna when he helped Lalu Prasad Yadav in the late 1980s to become the Leader of the Opposition. His name gained prominence when Lalu became the CM of Bihar in March 1990. Nitish and Lalu - the Patna University boys, deeply inspired by JP's strength and ideas, made a statement that they had arrived and they are here for the long.

However, in 1994, discontent with Lalu’s dominance, Nitish engineered a rebellion: first, George Fernandes led the split of 14 RJD MPs to form Janata Dal (George), second, the party, along with Nitish and other supporters, was merged and renamed Samata Party. In 1996, Nitish allied with the BJP for the first time and was able to make his name known in Delhi. He bagged major portfolios in the Vajpayee government, including that of Railways in 1998.

After the 2000 Assembly elections in Bihar, no party had a clear majority. The Governor invited Nitish Kumar (backed by the BJP-led NDA) to form the government and he took oath for the first time. However, once the Assembly convened, it became clear that RJD and its allies had stronger position to prove numbers. Realising that he would not be able to win the numbers, Nitish resigned voluntarily after 7 days.

2005-2010: The Sushasan Babu

The wound of resignation was deep, and Nitish made sure that he wouldn't back down. So in the 2005 February elections, he put all his might to make people see the light at the end of the RJD's long tunnel. Fate, however, was not at his side yet. JD(U)-BJP alliance emerged stronger but still couldn’t form the government. Ultimately, after a brief period of the President's rule, elections were announced again for October–November. This time, 'janta' had seen the light and gave a clear mandate, paving the way for Nitish Kumar to be the CM, ending RJD's 15-year rule.

This was the second time he took the oath as the CM. The win was his own. People of Bihar, tired of the ‘Jungle Raj’ under Lalu-Rabri regime, voted overwhelmingly for roads, electricity and above all, a crime-free Bihar. As per the 2005 expectations, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Nitish did deliver. By the time his tenure ended in 2010, Biharis knew what road connectivity meant. They had witnessed that a 10-15 hour-electricity supply was not a luxury, and the women knew how the sky outside their homes looked after 7 pm! Nitish had successfully shooed away the demons of ‘Jungle Raj.’

2010-2015: Power games

The 2010 Bihar Assembly election marked one of the biggest political victories in the state’s history and the face was Nitish Kumar. In November 2010, he was sworn in as the CM for the third time. Things went hunky-dory till 2013, a year ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2014. In Dec 2013, the BJP announced Narendra Modi as the NDA's PM candidate. This possibly hit Nitish's ego, who by then had harboured national ambitions. He dramatically ended his long partnership with the BJP but remained the CM with the help of the smaller parties. However, after the 2014 Lok Sabha election, where JD(U) won only 2 seats, Nitish took moral responsibility and resigned. He placed a lesser-known Jitan Ram Manjhi at the helm of affairs. His greed for power was still not apparent till early 2015, when he engineered an internal rebellion against Manjhi and he was forced to resign. Nitish, thus, took oath as CM for the fourth time in Feb 2015.

The ‘Sushasan Babu’ was not done yet! He had already planned his next move - a revenge of sorts against the BJP-led NDA that butchered his national ambitions. He reconciled with his Patna University friend Lalu and formed the Mahagathbandhan ahead of the 2015 October elections in the state. The Mahagathbandhan registered a thumping victory, with Nitish the CM again, for the fifth time and Lalu's sons - Tejashwi Yadav as Deputy CM and Tej Pratap Yadav as the Health minister.

2015-2020: Old buddies but not old bond

Nitish and Lalu were two sides of a river, if not a coin! There were several policy-level disagreements between RJD and JD(U) leaders. Nitish was already facing criticism for letting Lalu dominate the alliance. Discontentment brewed inside Nitish too, and it was out in the open when he openly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move, and met Home Minister Amit Shah. A corruption case against Tejashwi was the final nail in the coffin: he asked Tejashwi to resign, which Lalu's scion refused and thus, Nitish executed one of his most dramatic U-turns. Overnight, he quit the alliance with Lalu and rejoined the BJP, took another oath in 2017, for the sixth time, cementing the title of ‘Palturam’ to his personality.

2020-2025: The to and fro years

In the 2020 Bihar polls, his party faced the burn of his infamous title. Public in Bihar reduced Nitish's JD9U) to 40, making RJD - now led by Tejashwi Yadav the single largest party. Once the shining star from 'bimaru' Bihar was now a younger brother in the NDA alliance. However, call it Bihar's bad omen, the BJP's lack of leadership or Nitish's absolute luck, he became the CM again for the seventh time. Though this time, BJP's two Deputy CMs were behind him.

In August 2022, marred by the BJP's dominance, Nitish Kumar ended the JD(U)–BJP alliance once again. On policy fronts, Nitish and the BJP which was riding on the wave of an absolute majority after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, didn't stand on the same page. From the caste census to the Agnipath scheme, Nitish did not back the BJP, showcasing his frustration time and again. He also learnt his lesson from what the BJP did to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Though he wasn't able to stop RCP Singh's exit from his party, he decided to show the saffron party that he is called 'Palturam' for a reason. Soon, bonhomie with old buddy rekindled, and he rejoined the Mahagathbandhan, taking oath the eighth time in August 2022.

Nitish, once again, made a last attempt to achieve his national ambition. He became the harbinger of the much-touted Opposition unity and, with the help of 26 Opposition parties, formally formed on July 2023. This was to challenge the now formidable Modi-led BJP. However, in January 2024, Nitish Kumar abruptly left the Mahagathbandhan. He felt sidelined, he felt ignored, and he was disappointed that the INDIA alliance did not choose him as the convenor. The 2013 Nitish, whose ego was hurt on Modi's elevation, had shown that his ego is still intact. Electorally, Nitish believed the Mahagathbandhan could weaken him, similar to what happened in 2014–2017. Biharis had still not forgotten the wounds of ‘Jungle Raj.’ By 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Nitish once again returned to the NDA and took oath for the ninth time in January 2024.

2025: The story continues…

Nitish's party made a massive comeback by winning 85 seats. BJP became the single largest party by winning 89 seats. In an Assembly of 243 seats, the NDA had 202. Nitish Kumar has vowed not to shift sides “ever again”, while lamenting that he had strayed “here and there” previously, but now this won't happen again. For Biharis, they will remember all: The Nitish who resigned as Railway minister in August 1999 after the Gaisal train accident in Bihar, the Nitish Kumar who removed ‘lantern’ from each household, the Nitish who gave a cycle to girls who reached Class 8, and the Nitish who has been playing ‘ping-pong’ between BJP and RJD.