Nitish Kumar poised for 10th term: A look at India's longest-serving Chief Ministers
New Delhi: With Nitish Kumar’s alliance once again coming into power in Bihar, it will most likely be JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, the Bihar’s longest-serving Chief Minister, poised to take oath for the record 10th time.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) delivered a crushing blow to Mahagathabandhan as they swept their opposition by winning 202 seats out of 243 to retain power in Bihar.
Nitish’s JD(U) contested the election on 101 seats and won 89, and became the second largest party in Bihar after the BJP.
Here’s a look at the longest-serving Chief Ministers of India1. Pawan Kumar Chamling: Sikkim
Pawan Kumar Chamling is the longest-serving chief minister in India, as he has led Sikkim for nearly 25 years with exceptional consistency. Under Chamling’s leadership, his party won five consecutive elections between December 12, 1999, and May 26, 2019.
2. Naveen Patnaik: Odisha
Naveen Patnaik ran Odisha for over two decades, as he first held the office in 2000 and his tenure ended in 2024. His run ended when the BJP won a decisive election in 2024 by winning 79 out of 147 assembly seats.
3. Jyoti Basu: West Bengal
Jyoti Basu is the longest-serving woman chief minister and is designated as one of India’s most respected statesmen. Basu ran West Bengal for over two decades; her tenure began on June 21, 1977, and ended on November 5, 2000. She was also offered to take the Prime Minister’s chair, but she declined the opportunity.
4. Gegong Apang: Arunachal Pradesh
Gegong Apang is the most prominent figure in Arunachal Pradesh politics. He served as the chief minister for 23 years in two separate stints.
His first stint commenced in 1980 and ended in 1980, and after losing an election, he came back again in power in 2003 and served his second stint from 2003 to 2007.
5. Lal Thanhawla: Mizoram
The senior Indian politician from Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla, served several times as the face of Mizoram. His office tenure is separated into three terms, starting from May 5, 1984, to August 21, 1986; then January 24, 1989, to December 3, 1988; and at last December 11, 2008, to December 15, 2018.
Under his leadership, Mizoram’s road network, education, and health sectors improved.
6. Virbhadra Singh: Himachal Pradesh
The Congress veteran also had multiple stints as Himachal Pradesh’s CM. He held the power for almost 21 years (April 8, 1983 – March 5, 1990; December 3, 1993 – March 24, 1998; March 6, 2003 – December 30, 2007; December 25, 2012 – December 27, 2017).
7. Manik Sarkar: Tripura
Manik Sarkar won four back-to-back elections and held the Tripura office from 1988 to 2018.
8. Nitish Kumar: Bihar
Nitish Kumar is Bihar’s longest-serving CM, as he also had numerous terms as the face for 19 years (March 3 – 11, 2000; November 24, 2005 – May 20, 2014; February 2, 2015 – Present).