Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar (born 1 March 1951) is an Indian politician who has served as the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. He is Bihar's longest serving chief minister, and also holding the post for 9th term.
Nitish Kumar | |
|---|---|
Kumar in 2007 | |
| 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| Assumed office 22 February 2015 | |
| Governor | |
| Deputy | Tejashwi Yadav (2015–2017) (2022–2024) Sushil Kumar Modi (2017–2020) Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi (2020–2022) Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha (2024-Present) |
| Preceded by | Jitan Ram Manjhi |
| Constituency | Digha |
| In office 24 November 2005 – 20 May 2014 | |
| Deputy | Sushil Kumar Modi (until 16 June 2013) |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Jitan Ram Manjhi |
| In office 3 March 2000 – 10 March 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Rabri Devi |
| Succeeded by | Rabri Devi |
| Union Minister of Railways | |
| In office 20 March 2001 – 21 May 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Succeeded by | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| In office 19 March 1998 – 5 August 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Succeeded by | Mamata Banerjee |
| Union Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 27 May 2000 – 21 July 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Sunder Lal Patwa |
| Succeeded by | Ajit Singh |
| In office 22 November 1999 – 3 March 2000 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Sunder Lal Patwa |
| Union Minister of Surface Transport | |
| In office 13 October 1999 – 22 November 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | M. Thambidurai |
| Succeeded by | Jaswant Singh |
| In office 14 April 1998 – 5 August 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Jaswant Singh |
| Succeeded by | Rajnath Singh |
| National President Janata Dal (United) | |
| Assumed office 29 December 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Lalan Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 March 1951 Bakhtiarpur, Bihar, India |
| Political party | Janata Dal (United) |
| Other political affiliations | National Democratic Alliance (2024–present; 2017–2022; 1999–2013) Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (2023–2024) Samata Party (until 2005)Janata Dal (1989–1994) |
| Spouse |
Manju Sinha
(m. 1973; died 2007) |
| Children | Nishant Kumar (son) |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | Bihar College of Engineering (BE) |
| Signature | |
| Source: | |
He is the leader of the Janata Dal (United). Previously, Kumar also served as a Union Minister as the Samata Party member. He was member of the Samata Party until 2005 and Janata Dal from 1989 to 1994. Kumar first entered politics as a member of the Janata Dal, becoming an MLA in 1985. A socialist, Kumar founded the Samata Party in 1994 along with George Fernandes. In 1996 he was elected to the Lok Sabha, and served as a Union Minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with his party joining the National Democratic Alliance. In 2003 his party merged into the Janata Dal (United), and Kumar became its leader. In 2005, the NDA won a majority in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, and Kumar became chief minister heading a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In the 2010 state elections, the governing coalition won re-election in a landslide. In June 2013, Kumar broke with the BJP after Narendra Modi was named as their candidate for prime minister, and formed the Mahagathbandhan, a coalition with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Indian National Congress and joined in United Progressive Alliance. On 17 May 2014, Kumar resigned as chief minister after the party suffered severe losses in the 2014 Indian general election, and was replaced by Jitan Ram Manjhi. However, he attempted to return as chief minister in February 2015, sparking a political crisis that eventually saw Manjhi resign and Kumar become chief minister again. Later that year, the Mahagathbandhan won a large majority in the state elections. In 2017, Kumar broke with the RJD over corruption allegations and returned to the NDA, leading another coalition with the BJP; at the 2020 state elections his government was narrowly reelected. In August 2022, Kumar left the NDA, rejoining the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and UPA. In January 2024, Kumar left the Mahagathbandhan once again and rejoined the NDA.