The Nirvik Bureau, Bhubaneswar, 20 November 2025
Nitish Kumar’s 10th Oath And The Death Of Surprise In Bihar Politics
Patna: In a development that shocked absolutely no one except a few first-time voters and one over-enthusiastic TV intern, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 10th time, thereby confirming what scientists long suspected: governments in Bihar may change, alliances may shuffle, but the CM’s chair comes with a built-in “Nitish-only” setting.
The Return Of The Perennial CM
By now, the oath-taking ceremony resembles a government ritual more than a political event. The national anthem plays, the Governor reads the script, cameras flash, and somewhere in the control room a bored producer mutters, “Old visuals chala do, bas date change kar dena.”
Nitish Kumar, unbothered by such mundane repetition, arrived with the calm of a man checking into his usual hotel room. One gets the feeling that Raj Bhavan must have a template ready: “I, Nitish Kumar, do swear…” with the rest in fill-in-the-blanks format. Even the carpet must be thinking, “Yaar, phir se yehi joota.”
Master Of The Great Alliance Gymnastics
Over the past two decades, Nitish has changed alliances so often that even Google Maps now asks, “Are you sure you want to take this U-turn again?” His political career can be neatly summarized as a continuous shuttle service between NDA and Mahagathbandhan with occasional halts at “Moral Stand” station.
In one season, he is the face of secular, corruption-free governance, shoulder to shoulder with those who once called him names. In the next, he is back with the very people he once denounced, explaining with a straight face that this was always for “Bihar’s vikas” and not at all for “kursi ka sukh.” If flexibility were an Olympic sport, Nitish would have more gold than P.T. Usha ever dreamt of.
NDA’s Most Reliable ‘Unreliable’ Ally
Within the NDA, Nitish is both valued partner and permanent flight-risk. He is like that relative who keeps threatening to leave the family WhatsApp group, only to come back every Diwali for the photo. The BJP, having been dumped and re-accepted multiple times, now treats every hug as a potential prelude to a future betrayal.
Yet, each election, when arithmetic looks tricky and Bihar’s caste matrix starts resembling an advanced algebra problem, the same NDA discovers that the password to power is still “N-I-T-I-S-H.” He brings credibility in the villages, nostalgia in urban middle class, and—most importantly—enough seats to justify swallowing their ego with chai and samosa.
Opposition: United In Confusion, Divided In Planning
On the other side, the opposition continues its favorite sport: strategic self-sabotage. Grand press conferences, fiery speeches, viral hashtags—and then, when it matters, no seat-sharing clarity, no face, no roadmap. While Nitish is busy negotiating ministries and margins, they are busy negotiating who will sit in the front row at the rally.
Each time they think they have cornered him, he changes the board. They plan for “Nitish vs NDA,” only to wake up to “Nitish with NDA.” Their war rooms resemble group study sessions where nobody has opened the syllabus. By the time they finish forming coordination committees, Nitish has finished forming the government.
If biting one’s shoes were a political metric, the opposition in Bihar would have dentures by now.
The Eternal Interim
In official speeches, Nitish still talks like a man temporarily burdened with responsibility, doing this “only for Bihar,” as if he might retire any moment and go meditate in the mountains. But every few years, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, there he is again—hand on Constitution, photographers jostling, anchors shouting “Historic!” as if it didn’t happen nine times before.
Some leaders leave behind legacies. Nitish seems determined to leave behind a recurring subscription. In Bihar, parties rise and fall, alliances form and dissolve, manifestos come and go. But one thing remains constant:
Governments change. Slogans change. Posters change.
The Chief Minister? Please, that’s a permanent feature.
