Nitish Kumar is one of India’s longest-serving chief ministers, having led Bihar for nearly two decades. However, the Janata Dal (United) chief has an unusual political distinction of almost never contesting elections directly. Instead, he has consistently chosen the Legislative Council route to remain in power. As Bihar heads toward the 2025 Assembly elections, scheduled for November 6 and 11, Nitish Kumar’s political strategy remains unchanged.

From Assembly Polls to Parliament

Nitish Kumar began his political journey by contesting the Bihar Assembly elections in 1977, 1980 and 1985, winning only once, in 1985. After that, he turned towards national politics and went on to contest six consecutive Lok Sabha elections — 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004 — winning all of them.

His fi

See Full Page