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Nitish Kumar: In Bihar, Nitish Kumar created a new political history by taking oath as the Chief Minister for the 10th time on Thursday. Repeated trust, repeated power further increased his political stature.
Nitish Kumar: In Bihar, Nitish Kumar created a new political history by taking oath as Chief Minister for the 10th time on Thursday. At the age of 74, he has made a place in the national top-10 list of longest serving Chief Ministers of the country, extending his tenure of 19 years so far. No Chief Minister has taken oath so many times till now, which makes this achievement even more significant. This new tenure of Nitish Kumar shows his strong hold in the politics of Bihar and his continued acceptance among the people. He has led the government through many ups and downs and has made the state’s development, law and order and social reforms his priority.
New history created in Bihar politics
By taking oath for the tenth time, he proved that even today he is present as the most influential face in the politics of Bihar. Nitish Kumar took charge as the Chief Minister at a grand swearing-in ceremony at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and several top NDA leaders. Born in 1951 in Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar, Nitish Kumar entered politics during the JP movement. He joined the Janata Party and contested his first assembly election in 1977, but was unsuccessful.
Won for the first time in 1985
Nitish’s first election victory was in 1985. He earned the nickname ‘Paltu Ram’ due to his frequent switching of sides in his almost five decade long political career, while for his good governance he is also called ‘Sushasan Babu’. As the political landscape of the country changes, Nitish Kumar joins the ranks of the country’s 10 longest serving Chief Ministers. A list which has been dominated by stalwarts like Sikkim’s Pawan Kumar Chamling and Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik for decades.
List of longest serving Chief Ministers:
- Sikkim: Pawan Kumar Chamling (over 25 years) December 12, 1994 – May 26, 2019.
- Odisha: Naveen Patnaik (above 24 years) March 5, 2000 – June 11, 2024.
- West Bengal: Jyoti Basu (over 23 years) June 21, 1977 – November 5, 2000.
- Arunachal Pradesh: Gegong Apang (over 22 years) January 18, 1980 – January 19, 1999; August 3, 2003 – April 9, 2007.
- Mizoram: Lal Thanhawla (over 22 years) May 5, 1984 – August 21, 1986; 24 January 1989 – 3 December 1998; December 11, 2008 – December 15, 2018.
- Himachal Pradesh: Virbhadra Singh (over 21 years) April 8, 1983 – March 5, 1990; 3 December 1993 – 24 March 1998; 6 March 2003 – 30 December 2007; 25 December 2012 – 27 December 2017.
- Tripura: Manik Sarkar (over 19 years) March 11, 1998 – March 9, 2018.
- Bihar: Nitish Kumar (about 19 years) 3 March 2000 to 11 March 2000; From 24 November 2005 to 20 May 2014, and from 22 February 2015 to 19 November 2025.
- Tamil Nadu: M. Karunanidhi (above 18 years) February 10, 1969 – January 31, 1976; January 27, 1989 – January 30, 1991; May 13, 1996 – May 14, 2001; May 13, 2006 – May 16, 2011.
- Punjab: Prakash Singh Badal (above 18 years) 27 March, 1970 – 14 June, 1971; June 20, 1977 – February 17, 1980; February 12, 1997 – February 26, 2002; March 1, 2007 – March 16, 2017.
Also read: From JP movement to the pinnacle of power: JD(U) again expressed confidence in Nitish, will take command
