Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar, a prominent figure in Indian politics, has held various significant positions throughout his career. Born on March 1, 1951, in Bakhtiarpur, Bihar, he completed his education with a B.Sc. in Engineering from Bihar College of Engineering, Patna. His early professional life saw him working with the Bihar State Electricity Board before transitioning into politics.

Nitish Kumar's political journey began with his involvement in the J.P. Movement from 1974 to 1977, where he was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (M.I.S.A) during the Emergency in 1975. He later became a founder-member of the Samata Party Movement.

Throughout his career, Nitish Kumar has been associated with the Janata Dal (United) political party. He served as the Chief Minister of Bihar for five terms and has been an MP for Barh for six terms. Additionally, he has held ministerial positions in the Union Government of India.

In 2014, he took responsibility for his party's poor performance in the general elections and resigned as Chief Minister. However, he returned to office in February 2015 after a political crisis in the state. He won the state elections in November 2015 and was elected as the national president of his party in April 2016.

On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar resigned again as Chief Minister of Bihar due to differences with the coalition partner RJD, primarily over the naming of Tejaswi Yadav in an FIR by the CBI. Shortly after, he joined the NDA coalition and regained the majority in the assembly, reassuming office as Chief Minister the next day.

In 2022, he severed ties with the NDA and aligned with the RJD, Congress, and the Left alliance in Bihar, assuming office as Chief Minister. Subsequently, between 2022 and 2024, he spearheaded efforts to unite opposition parties against the BJP, culminating in the formation of the INDIA alliance.

Notably, on January 28, 2024, Nitish Kumar marked a historic ninth term as Chief Minister of Bihar, following his resignation from the RJD-JD(U) government earlier that day.

Throughout his tenure, Nitish Kumar has focused on addressing various socio-economic issues in Bihar. He appointed more than 100,000 school teachers, ensured that doctors worked in primary health centres, developed infrastructure, cut female illiteracy by half, turning around a lawless state by cracking down on criminals and doubling the income of the average person from person.

Nitish Kumar's personal life includes his marriage to Manju Kumari Sinha on February 22, 1973, and they have one child together.

In November 2025, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for the tenth time, leading a new NDA government from JD(U).

As of 2026, Nitish Kumar has stepped down as Bihar Chief Minister and is set to join the Rajya Sabha, signalling a shift from state executive leadership to a parliamentary role.