How Nitish Kumar became Bihar's longest-serving CM without contesting elections

Nitish Kumar takes oath as CM for record 10th time

An engineer who mastered the art of social engineering in Bihar, Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for a record 10th time on Thursday.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan, a venue that hosted his swearing-ins in 2005, 2010 and 2015, and is also remembered for Jayaprakash Narayan’s iconic “total revolution” call in 1974.

Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, is known for remaining absent from Assembly contests. He last served as an MLA in 1985 and has contested an Assembly election only once since then, from Harnaut in 1995. After failing to retain that seat, he continued as a Lok Sabha MP and has since preferred the Legislative Council route to remain part of the state legislature.

His electoral journey began with three consecutive Assembly contests in 1977, 1980, and 1985, winning only the last. He then shifted focus to national politics, winning six Lok Sabha elections, in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004. His first win came from Barh in 1989, which he represented for four straight terms. In 2004, he contested from both Barh and Nalanda, losing the former but winning the latter, his last electoral contest to date.

Nitish Kumar has led Bihar almost continuously since November 2005, barring a nine-month break in 2014–15. After the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he resigned over political differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jitan Ram Manjhi briefly took over, but after Manjhi drifted toward the BJP, Nitish returned in 2015 and later secured a strong mandate in alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. In 2017, he switched back to the NDA.

Why Nitish Kumar chooses the Legislative Council?

Nitish first became Chief Minister in 2000 without being a member of either House of the Bihar legislature, a government that fell within eight days. When he returned to power in 2005, he again took oath as CM without contesting Assembly elections and later entered the Legislative Council, a pattern he has followed ever since.

Bihar is among six states with a bicameral legislature, allowing leaders like Nitish to serve through the Upper House instead of fighting direct elections. He completed his first Council term in 2012 and was re-elected multiple times, prompting questions about his aversion to Assembly politics.

Responding to this in January 2012 during the Council’s centenary, Nitish said: “I chose to become an MLC by choice and not because of any compulsion. The Upper House is a respectable institution.” He added that he would continue seeking re-election to the Council.

Ahead of the 2015 polls, he reiterated that he would not contest an Assembly seat because he did not want to “restrict his focus to one constituency.”

Nitish in the Legislative Council

Nitish Kumar returned to the Legislative Council in 2018 for his third consecutive term, which ended in 2024. He secured another term in March 2024, extending his membership until May 2030.

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections were held in two phases, November 6 and November 11.