Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar CM for a Record 10th Time

Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar on November 20, 2025 took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record-extending tenth time at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda and other NDA leaders. Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath.

In the recent state election, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, the JD(U) won 85, while the LJP (Ram Vilas) secured 19. In total, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won 202 seats.

Nitish Kumar was elected the leader of the NDA legislature party on October 19, while BJP leader Samrat Choudhary was chosen as the head of the BJP legislature party in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar first became Chief Minister in 2000, though his government fell within eight days. He returned to power in 2005 and, except for a brief resignation in 2014, has remained a dominant force in Bihar politics. His previous oath-taking was in January 2024, when he brought the JD(U) back to the BJP-led NDA.

Among India’s longest-serving chief ministers, Nitish Kumar ranks eighth with a cumulative tenure of about 19 years and 93 days. The top three are Pawan Kumar Chamling, Naveen Patnaik and Jyoti Basu.