Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician. He was born on 1 March 1951 in Bakhtiyarpur, Bihar. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He did his schooling from Shri Ganesh High School, Bakhtiyarpur, Patna. He earned a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Bihar College of Engineering. 

His father’s name was Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh, and his mother’s name was Parmeshwari Devi. 

He was married to Manju Kumari Sinha from 1973 to 2007. 

Interesting facts about Nitish Kumar

His father Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh was a freedom fighter in India's freedom struggle.

Nitish Kumar worked in the electricity department of Bihar before venturing into politics. 

In his early years, he was greatly influenced by Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Karpuri Thakur, SN Sinha and VP Singh.

Nitish Kumar’s political journey

In the year 1971, he became a member of Samajwadi Yuva Jan Sabha, the youth wing of Ram Manohar Lohia’s political party. 

Nitish Kumar was arrested under the Internal Security Act for his involvement in the JP movement in 1974. He was also arrested during the Emergency in 1975. 

In 1985, he was first elected as a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly as an independent candidate.

In the year 1989, he was appointed as the General Secretary of Janata Dal in Bihar and as a Member of Parliament for the first time.

Nitish Kumar’s significant positions

Nitish Kumar assumed the position of the Union Minster of State for Agriculture and Cooperation in the year 1990. 

His work as Union Minister from 1998 to 2004 was highly commendable as he improved the condition of the Railways during his tenure.

Nitish Kumar served as the Chief Minister of Bihar for only eight days in the year 2000, as he could not form majority. 

Forming alliances

In the year 2005, Nitish Kumar received support from the BJP was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the second time. He served his third term till 2014. 

After breaking the alliance with the BJP in 2014, Nitish Kumar lost in the assembly elections and had to resign from the post of the CM. 

In the year 2015, Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fifth time. He formed a coalition government with the name the Grand Alliance, which included, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (United).

Nitish Kumar broke the alliance in the year 2017 and was sworn in as the CM of Bihar for the sixth time with the support of BJP. 

In 2022, amidst the ongoing political crisis in Bihar, he ended his alliance with BJP and resigned from the CM position.  

Nitish Kumar’s biographies

Two biographies have been published on the life of Nitish Kumar, titled ‘Nitish Kumar and the Rise of Bihar’ by Shankaran Thakur, and ‘A Single Man: The Life and Times of Bihar’s Nitish Kumar’ by Arun Sinha. 

Nitish Kumar has received awards like Business Reformer of the Year, and The Best Politician of the Year. 

Presently, Nitish Kumar is serving as the 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar. He is also the National President of Janata Dal (United).