Nitish’s last landing

For more than two decades, Nitish Kumar dominated Bihar’s political landscape with a resilience that often defied predictions of his downfall. A master tactician, he was widely regarded as the state’s political Machiavelli-always bouncing back after setbacks, reinventing himself, and reasserting his relevance. His career, spanning multiple tenures as Chief Minister, culminated in his resignation on April 14, 2026, marking the end of an era in Bihar politics. Nitish Kumar’s journey was remarkable not only for its longevity but also for its sheer adaptability. He was sworn in as Bihar’s Chief Minister a record ten times, beginning with a brief stint in 2000. Across these years, he became the state’s longest-serving leader, a feat that underscored both his political acumen and his uncanny ability to maneuver through shifting alliances. What set him apart was his capacity to switch sides without suffering the kind of backlash that usually accompanies political opportunism. In fact, his frequent realignments earned him the nickname “Paltu Ram”-a moniker that captured both admiration and criticism of his somersaulting style. Since 2013, Nitish Kumar changed alliances five major times, oscillating between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Congress. Yet, neither RJD nor Congress could ever push him out of Bihar’s political center stage. His repeated returns to the BJP fold-most notably in 2005, 2010, 2017, and 2020-cemented his role as Chief Minister, even as his credibility as a steadfast ally remained questionable. Each time, he managed to justify his decisions as pragmatic rather than opportunistic, and the electorate, weary of instability, often accepted his narrative. The final twist in his career came in 2026, when Nitish Kumar was sworn in for the tenth time, only to resign within five months upon being elected to the Rajya Sabha. This move, orchestrated by the BJP, effectively placed him on a retirement track. Unlike RJD and Congress, who had tried and failed to lure him away from Bihar politics with their offers, the BJP succeeded by simply relocating him to the national stage—without yet granting him a berth in the Union cabinet. It was a quiet but decisive way of closing the chapter on Bihar’s most agile political acrobat. The implications of this shift are profound. With Nitish Kumar’s departure, the Janata Dal (United) faces the prospect of being reduced to a secondary player, while the BJP consolidates its grip on Bihar. The balance of power has unmistakably tilted, signaling a new phase in the state’s politics where the BJP may no longer need Nitish’s somersaults to maintain dominance. For a leader who thrived on unpredictability, the finality of this exit feels almost ironic: the man who built his career on constant reinvention has now been grounded. Nitish Kumar’s legacy will remain contested. To some, he was a shrewd survivor who kept Bihar’s governance functional amid turbulent times. To others, he epitomized opportunism, shifting loyalties for personal gain. Yet, regardless of perspective, his ability to endure and adapt made him one of the most consequential figures in Bihar’s modern political history. His exit marks not just the end of his own journey, but also the closing of a chapter in Bihar’s politics defined by perpetual motion and calculated somersaults.