Nitish Kumar Who Helped Building INDIA Bloc, Now Plays Pivotal Role In BJP Led NDA

The Lok Sabha election results in Bihar have yet again proven the significance of chief minister Nitish Kumar in the state’s predominantly triangular politics, as well as his remarkable ability to come back exactly when many others have written him off. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] contested 16 seats and won 12.

The BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, falling 32 seats short of a majority. The BJP needed four allies to obtain a majority: N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, which has 16 seats, Nitish Kumar’s JDU (12), Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena (7), and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (5).

TDP chairman Chandrababu Naidu and JDU’s Nitish Kumar have emerged as kingmakers of National Democratic Alliance (NDA at this critical time, shares of companies based in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have been soaring.

Who Is Nitish Kumar?

Nitish Kumar, born on March 1, 1951, is a prominent Indian politician who has served as the 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar since February 22, 2015. He previously held this office from 2005 to 2014 and briefly in 2000. Notably, he is Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister, currently in his ninth term.

As the leader of the Janata Dal (United), Kumar has a rich political history. He began his political journey with the Janata Dal, becoming an MLA in 1985. A committed socialist, he co-founded the Samata Party in 1994 with George Fernandes. By 1996, Kumar was elected to the Lok Sabha and served as a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In 2003, the Samata Party merged with the Janata Dal (United), and Kumar assumed leadership.

In the 2005 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, the NDA secured a majority, leading to Kumar’s appointment as Chief Minister in a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His leadership saw a significant victory in the 2010 state elections. However, in June 2013, he broke ties with the BJP after Narendra Modi was named their prime ministerial candidate, forming the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Indian National Congress, aligning with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Following a poor performance in the 2014 general elections, Kumar resigned as Chief Minister in May 2014, but returned to the role in February 2015 after a political upheaval led to Jitan Ram Manjhi’s resignation. The Mahagathbandhan won decisively in the 2015 state elections. In 2017, Kumar parted ways with the RJD over corruption issues and rejoined the NDA, leading another coalition with the BJP. His administration narrowly won the 2020 state elections.

In a significant political shift in August 2022, Kumar left the NDA to rejoin the Mahagathbandhan and UPA. However, by January 2024, he had once again departed from the Grand Alliance, rejoining the NDA.

Nitish Kumar’s Political Career

Kumar first entered the political arena by winning his election to the state assembly from Harnaut in 1985. Initially, he supported Lalu Prasad Yadav as the leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly in 1989. However, Kumar’s allegiance shifted in 1996 when he aligned with the BJP after winning his first Lok Sabha seat from Barh.

The Janata Dal had previously weathered splits, notably when Kumar and George Fernandes broke away to form the Samata Party in 1994. However, the party faced significant challenges when Lalu Prasad Yadav founded the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 1997, reducing the Janata Dal’s influence. This second split, occurring just before Rabri Devi came to power, left Janata Dal with only two prominent leaders, Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan.

Paswan, a rising Dalit leader, gained national prominence by winning elections with unprecedented margins. His popularity soared when he was appointed Minister of Railways in the United Front government in 1996 and subsequently became the leader of the Lok Sabha. Paswan’s influence extended to western Uttar Pradesh, where his supporters organized an impressive rally through a newly formed group called the Dalit Panthers.

CM of Bihar Since 2005

Nitish Kumar, a key figure in Bihar politics since 2005, recently took the oath as Chief Minister for the ninth time after forming an alliance with the BJP.

Watch Live with NewsX: