'Dasvi Baar' Nitish Kumar? From engineer to longest-serving Bihar CM as ‘sushasan babu’ eyes fifth term amid NDA surge

The Nitish Kumar-Narendra Modi partnership appears to be steering the National Democratic Alliance towards a sweeping victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, with the state voting emphatically for ‘sushasan’ once again. Early figures from the Election Commission of India (ECI) show the NDA holding a decisive lead as counting progresses, indicating what could become one of Nitish Kumar’s most emphatic mandates since he first took office in 2005.

Bihar Election Result 2025 Live: Nitish Kumar’s leadership tested as NDA surges past halfway mark

At 1.20 pm, the NDA further strengthened its position, with ECI data showing the BJP leading in 90 seats and the JD(U) ahead in 80, taking the alliance to a combined 170-seat lead. The Mahagathbandhan slipped further behind, with the RJD leading in 29 seats and the Congress in 5. Among other parties, LJP(R) led in 20 constituencies, AIMIM in 5, RLM and HAM(S) in 4 each, CPI(ML) in 4, and CPI(M) and BSP in one seat each. The trends reinforce the strong momentum behind the BJP–JD(U) coalition, backed by Prime Minister Modi’s nationwide appeal and Nitish Kumar’s enduring grassroots support.

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Nitish Kumar Story: A test of endurance and credibility for 'Sushasan Babu'

For Nitish Kumar, now the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, this election has been viewed as a crucial test of political endurance. Once celebrated as ‘Sushasan Babu’ for pulling Bihar out of the shadows of the so-called ‘jungle raj’, he has in recent years faced questions over shifting alliances and signs of voter fatigue. Yet the emerging verdict suggests voters have renewed their trust in his governance model.

The Chief Minister has long built his appeal on administration, infrastructure and welfare delivery. Improvements in rural roads, electricity, women’s empowerment programmes and direct benefit schemes have shaped his reputation as a leader focused on tangible development rather than rhetoric. Despite political reversals and periods of instability, his support base across castes and communities — including minorities — remains intact.

Modi-Nitish partnership reshapes the battlefield

This election marks a return to the tightly coordinated BJP–JD(U) partnership, reminiscent of the 2005–2010 and 2010–2013 periods. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharing the campaign platform extensively with Nitish Kumar, the NDA projected unity and administrative stability as its central promise.

The alliance emphasised infrastructure expansion, welfare delivery, employment-linked schemes and a push towards improved law and order. Strategists credit the mix of Modi’s national popularity and Nitish Kumar’s local anchoring for producing a formidable electoral force.

Bihar Results: Peaceful polling marks a dramatic shift from Bihar’s violent election years

The NDA has also highlighted the peaceful conduct of the 2025 polls as evidence of Bihar’s transformation. Historic data underline the scale of change:

1985: 63 election-related deaths; repolling in 156 booths

1990: 87 deaths reported

1995: Polls postponed four times amid widespread violence

2005: Repolling ordered in 660 booths

In contrast, the 2025 elections recorded zero repolling and no major incidents of violence, a shift the NDA credits to strengthened policing and administrative reforms.

The early verdict sustains a pattern visible since 2014. Bihar has consistently backed the NDA in:

2014 Lok Sabha election

2019 Lok Sabha election

2024 Lok Sabha election

2020 and 2025 Assembly elections

With nearly 89 per cent of its population living in rural areas, Bihar’s support base has often determined national political currents. NDA leaders attribute this mandate to what they call a “vote for dignity, stability and development”.

During the campaign, the NDA also sought to draw a distinction with the INDI Alliance, accusing its leaders of disrespecting Bihar’s cultural identity — including remarks on Chhath Puja. PM Modi’s push to include Chhath Puja in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list became a campaign talking point.

Nitish Kumar: The journey from engineering graduate to Bihar’s longest-serving CM

Born on 1 March 1951 in Bakhtiarpur, Nitish Kumar earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT Patna). After brief employment as an engineer, he entered politics through the JP Movement in the mid-1970s, emerging as a young organiser and voice for backward castes.

Influenced by leaders including Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, SN Sinha, Karpuri Thakur and VP Singh, Nitish Kumar contested his first Assembly election in 1977 and won his first seat in 1985.

His national rise began in 1989, when he entered the Lok Sabha, later holding portfolios including Railways, Agriculture, Surface Transport and Rural Development in various NDA governments from 1998 to 2004.

Why Nitish Kumar rarely contests assembly elections?

Despite being Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister, Nitish Kumar has not contested Assembly elections since 1995. He has preferred the Legislative Council route to remain part of the state legislature.

Key reasons:

Bihar has a Legislative Council, allowing ministers to hold office without contesting Assembly polls.

Nitish Kumar has consistently argued that contesting one seat would “limit his focus”.

He last contested a direct election in 2004, winning the Nalanda Lok Sabha seat.

His current tenure as an MLC runs until May 2030.

Decades of political adaptability of Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar’s political career is marked by calibrated shifts.

He has:

Broken and rebuilt alliances with the BJP

Joined and exited the Mahagathbandhan

Led Bihar through coalition complexities while maintaining administrative priorities

Supporters see these shifts as pragmatism; critics label him ‘paltu ram’. Yet, across 40 years of public life, he has retained the ability to secure electoral relevance.