Nitish Kumar’s Unconventional Journey Leads to an Unprecedented 10th Oath as Chief Minister

In a milestone that underscores his enduring political dominance in Bihar, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar is set to take oath as the State's Chief Minister for a record 10th time on Thursday, following the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) landslide victory in the 2025 assembly elections. The swearing-in ceremony at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, scheduled for 11:30 a.m., will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior NDA figures, marking a grand affirmation of the coalition's renewed mandate. With the NDA securing 202 of the 243 seats—JD(U) clinching 83 and BJP 93—the event symbolizes continuity for Kumar, who resigned as incumbent Chief Minister on November 19 to pave the way for the new government. This latest term comes after a term that began in 2024, highlighting Kumar's ability to navigate Bihar's volatile coalition politics amid criticisms of frequent alliance shifts.

Kumar's journey to this unprecedented 10th oath has been anything but linear, defined by resilience and strategic realignments that have earned him the moniker "Sushasan Babu" for good governance initiatives. His first stint in 2000 lasted a mere seven days, collapsing due to a failure to prove majority in the assembly. Subsequent oaths followed victories in the 2005 and 2010 elections under the NDA banner, solidifying his role in transforming Bihar from a "jungle raj" era plagued by lawlessness. However, a bold 2014 split from BJP led to his resignation and the brief elevation of Jitan Ram Manjhi, only for Kumar to reclaim the post in 2015 as head of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan alliance. This pattern of switches—joining NDA in 2017, reverting to Mahagathbandhan in 2022, and returning to NDA in 2024—has added three more oaths, pushing his tally beyond the conventional expectation of five for his cumulative service.

Despite holding the record for most oaths, Kumar ranks eighth among India's longest-serving chief ministers with approximately 7,023 days in office as of late 2025, trailing figures like Sikkim's Pawan Kumar Chamling (24 years, 165 days) and Odisha's Naveen Patnaik (24 years, 92 days). Should he complete this full five-year term—adding 1,845 days—he would ascend to third place overall, a prospect bolstered by the NDA's decisive mandate driven by women's welfare schemes, infrastructure pushes, and anti-corruption drives that propelled voter turnout, particularly among female demographics. His governance record includes landmark reforms like the Jeevika rural livelihoods project and improvements in law and order, credited with reducing Bihar's crime rates from the chaotic 1990s under predecessors like Lalu Prasad Yadav. Yet, detractors point to persistent challenges in education and employment as areas needing urgent attention in this term.

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Kumar's longevity extends to institutional interactions, having served under 14 governors—the third-highest in India—behind Mizoram's Lal Thanhawla (19) and Himachal Pradesh's Virbhadra Singh (16), a testament to his 25-year span in power amid frequent Raj Bhavan changes. Today's oath, administered by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan as the 15th such official in Kumar's career, unfolds against a backdrop of social media buzz on X, where users hail the "phoenix-like" leader's return while debating the implications for opposition RJD's Tejashwi Yadav. As preparations wrap up at Gandhi Maidan—closed to the public since November 17 for security—the ceremony not only cements NDA's dominance but also raises questions on sustaining Bihar's development trajectory, with at least 20 ministers, including six new faces from BJP and JD(U), expected to join the cabinet.

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