Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician who has been the Chief Minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015. He also served in this position from 2005 to 2014 and for a brief period in 2000. He is the founding member of the Samata Party Movement. In January 2024, he was chosen as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 9th time.
Wiki/Biography
Nitish Kumar was born on Thursday, 1 March 1951 (age 73 years; as of 2024) in Bakhtiarpur, Bihar. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He did his schooling at Shree Ganesh High School, Bakhtiarpur. He then obtained a B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the Bihar College of Engineering in 1972. During his college days, he was inclined towards politics and was influenced by Indian politicians Jaiprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, V P Singh, Karpoori Thakur, and S N Singh. After completing his formal education, he joined the Bihar State Electricity Board; however, he did not like working there as an engineer, so he decided to enter politics.
Jayaprakash Narayan in 1974 with then-student leader Nitish Kumar (right)
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Grey
Nitish Kumar
Family & Caste
Nitish Kumar was born in an OBC (Kurmi) family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Ram Lakhan Singh, was an Ayurvedic practitioner; however, he was interested in politics. Before India’s independence, Kaviraj Ram volunteered with the Indian National Congress and joined the freedom movement. In 1952 and 1957, Ram Lakhan did not receive the chance to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections in Congress, so he later joined the Janata Party.
Nitish Kumar with his parents
His mother, Parmeshwari Devi, was a homemaker and belonged to Nepal.
Nitish Kumar with his mother, Parmeshwari Devi
He has an elder brother named Satish Kumar and three sisters named Usha Devi, Indu Devi, and Prabha Devi.
Nitish Kumar’s elder brother, Satish Kumar
Nitish Kumar with his sisters
Wife & Children
Nitish Kumar’s wedding was arranged with a dowry of Rs. 22,000, which his father received before the marriage but returned when Nitish objected. Nitish and his wife, Manju Kumari Sinha, a government high school teacher, had a court marriage on 22 February 1973.
Nitish Kumar with Manju Kumari Sinha on their wedding day
They have a son named Nishant Kumar who considers himself an apolitical person and wants to lead a spiritual life.
Nitish Kumar With His Wife Manju Kumari Sinha
Nitish Kumar With His Son Nishant Kumar
Manju Kumari Sinha passed away on 14 March 2007 at the age of 53, after a prolonged illness at Max Hospital, New Delhi.
Nitish Kumar paying tribute to his wife Manju Sinha through her statue
Address
Nitish Kumar resides at 1 Aney Marg, Patna, Bihar (as Chief Minister of Bihar). His permanent address is Village – Hakikatpur, PO – Bakhtiarpur, District – Patna, Bihar.
Signature
Nitish Kumar Signature
Career
In 1971, Nitish Kumar became a member of the Samajwadi Yuvajan Sabha; the youth wing of Ram Manohar Lohia’s movement. In 1974, he joined the JP movement but was arrested under the Internal Security Act.
A rally during the JP Movement in the 1970s
In 1975, he was arrested during the Emergency. He contested the 1977 Bihar Assembly elections for the first time as a member of the Janata Party but lost. In 1985, he contested the Bihar Assembly elections again and won. He was appointed as the state president of the Lok Dal in 1987.
Nitish Kumar with leaders of the Janata Party
In 1989, Nitish Kumar was appointed as the General Secretary of the Janata Dal in Bihar. In the same year, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Barh Lok Sabha Constituency of Bihar. He worked as the Union Minister of Agriculture and Cooperation from April 1990 to November 1990. In 1991, he was elected as an MP for the second time and appointed as the General Secretary of the Janata Dal. Kumar was also chosen as the deputy leader of the Parliament. He was involved in the implementation of the Mandal Commission Report.
Nitish Kumar On His First Day As Union Minister
In 1995, he started the Samata Party with George Fernandes to compete against Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Bihar Assembly elections. His party could win only 6 seats.
Nitish Kumar with George Fernandes
Nitish Kumar contested the Lok Sabha elections of 1996 and was elected as an MP. He won again in 1997 and 1998. He was appointed as the Union Minister of Railways, Surface Transport Minister, and Agriculture Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.
Nitish Kumar with senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalitha
In 2000, the Janata Dal-United (JDU) contested the Bihar Assembly elections and won. Kumar became the Chief Minister of Bihar for seven days but quit just before facing a no-confidence motion in the Bihar Assembly.
When Nitish Kumar became Bihar CM for the first time in 2000
In 2004, Nitish Kumar was elected as an MP and became the leader of the JDU in Parliament. In November 2005, the JDU along with the BJP won the Bihar Assembly elections with a majority and ended the 15-year rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar and NDA came into power in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar Being Sworn In As Bihar CM
When NDA won again in 2010 with a huge majority, Kumar was sworn in as the CM for the 3rd time after uniting with NDA in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar with the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at an NDA program in Ludhiana
In 2013, when it was announced that Narendra Modi would be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the NDA, he broke the alliance. In 2014, when the NDA won the Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar took responsibility for the defeat and resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar. He made Jitan Ram Manjhi the CM in 2014.
Nitish Kumar With Jitan Ram Manjhi
Soon after Manjhi was sworn in as CM, differences cropped up between Manjhi and Nitish. They started escalating each other and soon Nitish had to campaign to get Manjhi removed from the post of the CM. In 2015, Nitish Kumar entered an alliance with the RJD and the Indian National Congress (INC). It was termed as the Mahagathbandhan, and they won the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections. Kumar was sworn in as the CM for the fifth time.
Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav after winning the Bihar elections together in 2015
On 27 July 2017, Nitish Kumar broke his alliance with the Mahagathbandan after Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted in the fodder scam. He entered an alliance with the BJP once again for the Bihar Assembly elections. The NDA won in Bihar and Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the 6th time in his career.
Nitish Kumar With Narendra Modi
On 9 August 2022, he resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar after he broke his alliance with the BJP in the state. Soon after his resignation, he staked a claim to form the government in Bihar. On 10 August 2022, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the record eight times.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav during their swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, in Patna, in August 2022
On 28 January 2024, Nitish Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar and ended his alliance with the RJD and Congress to rejoin the BJP-led NDA. On the same day, he was sworn in as Chief Minister for the ninth time.
28 January 2024: Nitish Kumar took the oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar in Patna
Controversies
Tax Evasion Allegations
In 2010, Kumar fired his Excise Minister Jamshed Ashraf. Soon after being fired, Ashraf alleged that Nitish Kumar was once involved in tax evasion on liquor, which had caused the state a loss of more than Rs. 500 crores INR.
Alliance Split and Allegations of Betrayal
In 2013, Nitish Kumar announced to end of the alliance with the BJP in Bihar soon after Narendra Modi was named as the PM candidate of the NDA. He was accused of being a betrayer and allegedly did this as he had personal differences with Modi.
Controversial Alliance Decision
In 2015, he was highly criticized for uniting with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and Congress. Earlier, he had opposed Lalu Prasad Yadav for a long time and had come to power in 2005 on the promise of getting the people of Bihar free from Lalu’s rule.
Alliance Shift
In 2017, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the Mahagathbandan and within 24 hours he formed the government in Bihar with the BJP. Many journalists and leaders called him an opportunist and stated that Kumar did this reportedly for the 2019 General elections.
JDU’s NDA Exit
On 9 June 2019, he announced that the JDU would not be a part of the NDA outside of Bihar. This reportedly came in after JDU was offered only a single Cabinet post in Narendra Modi’s cabinet. Kumar stated that it was insulting that his party won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and was being offered only one Cabinet position.
Criticism of Nitish
Nitish Kumar often faces criticism for frequently shifting political alliances to maintain his position as chief minister, earning him the nickname “Paltu Ram,” which means who frequently changes sides. He also receives criticism for never contesting in any elections throughout his career.
“You Are A Woman” comment row
On 24 July 2024, he received criticism from the opposition parties in the Bihar assembly when he commented “You are a woman, don’t you know anything?” at an RJD MLA. His comment came amidst his response to the opposition parties who were questioning his government on the reservation and special status for Bihar.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
2017
- Anuvrat Puraskar by Shwetambar Terapanthi Mahasabha (Jain organisation) for enforcing a total prohibition on liquor in Bihar
2013
- JP Memorial Award, Nagpur’s Manav Mandir
2012
- Ranked 77th in Foreign Policy Magazine’s top 100 global thinkers
2011
- XLRI, Jamshedpur Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial & Social Peace
2010
- NDTV Indian of the Year – Politics
- Forbes’ India’s Person of the Year
- CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award – Politics
2009
- NDTV Indian of the Year – Politics
- Economics Times Business Reformer of the Year
- Polio Eradication Championship Award by Rotary International
2008
- CNN-IBN Great Indian of the Year – Politics
2007
- The Best Chief Minister, according to the CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times State of the Nation Poll
Car Collection
Nitish Kumar owns a Ford Ecosport (2015 Model) and a Tata Tiago.
Nitish Kumar with his Tata Tiago
Assets/Properties
Movable Assets
- Deposits in Banks: Rs. 65332
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 11,32,753
- Other assets: Rs. 362,675
Immovable Assets
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 40,00,000
Net Worth
In 2017, his net worth was approximately calculated at Rs. 56.6 Lakhs.
Favourites
- Politician: Jaiprakash Narayan
Facts/Trivia
- He also goes by the names Munna and Sushasan Babu .
- Nitish Kumar follows a vegetarian diet.
- He does not drink alcohol or smoke. He is recognized for his gentle manners and soft way of speaking at his workplace.
- Nitish Kumar, as Chief Minister of Bihar, introduced the “Jankari Scheme,” an electronic version of the RTI Act, and formed an ‘Anti-Terrorist Squad’ after the 2013 Bodhgaya blasts to improve law and order.
An ATS team screening the crime scene after Bodh Gaya, Patna, blasts
- He then reformed police recruitment processes and established the Special Auxiliary Police to tackle Maoist issues, which provided economic opportunities for retired military personnel.
A picture of the Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) rally in Bihar
- As Railway Minister, he introduced internet ticket booking and the Tatkal scheme, and as Agriculture Minister, he attended international conferences in Japan and France.
An old picture of Nitish Kumar
- Two biographies have been written about him. ‘Nitish Kumar and the Rise of Bihar’ (2011) by Arun Sinha and ‘Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar of Bihar’ (2014) by Sankarshan Thakur.
The cover of the book titled ‘Nitish Kumar and The Rise of Bihar’ by Arun Sinha
- In 2017, Kumar made the headlines when it was revealed in media that his son, Nishant Kumar, was three times richer than him.
- In 2022, a statue of his father, Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh, was revealed in Bihar to honour his contributions to India’s independence.
Nitish Kumar while offering flowers to his father’s statue
- Nishant Kumar, in an interview with a media house, once said that he did not have a good rapport with his father, and the two of them did not get along too well.
Nitish Kumar With His Son Nishant Kumar
- Nitish Kumar likes eating chuda-dahi with jaggery or sugar and practices yoga regularly. While campaigning, he opts for homemade meals like rotis, vegetables, curd, and pickles, along with tea and bhunja/poha, and keeps his dinner simple.
Nitish Kumar while enjoying ‘chuda-dahi’ on Makar Sankranti
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education