Electrical engineer who mastered the art of social engineering: Nitish Kumar set for 10th term as Bihar CM

PATNA: From an electrical engineer to Bihar’s most enduring politician, Nitish Kumar has mastered the art of social and political engineering over five decades. Born on March 1, 1951, in Bakhtiarpur, Patna district, Kumar first made his mark as a participant in the JP movement and a political prisoner during the Emergency.

Since his assembly debut in 1985, he has navigated party splits, alliances, and electoral upheavals, serving multiple stints as Union minister and Chief Minister.

After Friday’s sweeping victory, he is set to take oath for an unprecedented 10th term as Bihar Chief Minister, extending his record-breaking political legacy.

• Born on March 1,1951 at Bakhtiarpur in Patna district, Nitish Kumar graduated as an electrical engineer from Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT Patna) in 1972. But it’s social engineering that he was drawn to
• 1974–1977 | Took part in JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) movement and was among politicians jailed during the Emergency
• 1985 | Made his assembly debut, becoming MLA from Harnaut. He was then with Janata Dal, the predecessor to JDU , RJD and LJP
• 1989 | Won Lok Sabha poll from Barh and stayed MP from the seat for 15 years
• 1998 | Co-founded Samata Party with George Fernandes, after splitting from Janata Dal
• 1998-99 | Became railway minister for the first time in NDA govt led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee; resigned after Gaisal train tragedy in West Bengal, where nearly 300 people died

• 2000 | Sworn in as Bihar CM for the first time after a hung verdict. Resigned 7 days later as it became clear NDA (JDU and BJP) did not have the numbers to clear the floor test
• 2005 | Led NDA to victory over RJD, succeeding Rabri Devi, who had three terms as CM after Lalu Yadav had to resign in 1997 over the fodder scam
• 2010 | Became CM after sweeping JDU-BJP win
• 2014 | Broke ranks with NDA; resigned as CM after JDU fared poorly in the Lok Sabha polls
• 2015 | Formed a new front with arch-rival RJD and Congress, which came to be called Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan. Became CM with Tejashwi Yadav as his deputy
• 2017 | Made another U-turn, walking out of Mahagathbandhan to return to NDA. Resigned as Mahagathbandhan CM and was sworn in as NDA CM
• 2022 | Left NDA again to rejoin Mahagathbandhan and scripted the reverse of 2017
• 2024 | Returned to NDA. Stayed CM amid talks about his deteriorating health. Same alliance won by a landslide Friday, paving the way for a record 10th term