Nitish Kumar elected JD(U) party leader as he gears up for 10th term as Bihar Chief Minister

In a key procedural step following the NDA’s victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party on Wednesday. The decision, taken at a meeting of newly elected MLAs and Legislative Council members at ‘Samvad’ in Patna, formally sets the process in motion for Kumar to return as Chief Minister for a record tenth term.

State minister Shrawon Kumar confirmed that the resolution electing Nitish Kumar as legislature party leader was moved by senior JD(U) leaders Vijay Choudhary and Umesh Kushwaha, and seconded by Bijendra Yadav. It received further endorsement from working national president Sanjay Jha and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’. After his formal election, Kumar addressed the legislators, urging them to work with renewed commitment for the welfare and development of Bihar.

The JD(U) leader will now attend a meeting of all National Democratic Alliance constituents, where he is expected to be chosen as the leader of the broader five-party coalition. With the NDA commanding a comfortable majority of 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly comprising BJP’s 89, JD(U)’s 85, LJP(RV)’s 19, HAM’s 5 and RLM’s 4 his election as alliance leader is considered a formality.

Following the NDA meeting, Kumar will meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan later in the evening to stake claim to form the new government. He will submit letters of support from all coalition partners and request the Governor to initiate the formal process of government formation. The current Assembly is scheduled to be dissolved by Wednesday night, after which the new government will take shape. Nitish Kumar is set to take oath as Chief Minister today at Patna’s iconic Gandhi Maidan.

Nitish Kumar’s re-election as legislature party leader marks yet another milestone in a political career that has heavily shaped Bihar for nearly two decades. Known for his governance-driven politics, Kumar is widely credited with improving law and order, expanding roads and electrification, strengthening public welfare systems and pioneering women-centric initiatives such as reservations in panchayats and the cycle programme for schoolgirls. His most recent initiative, the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana under which over one crore women received ₹10,000 each, played a key role in the JD(U)’s campaign.

The 75-year-old leader, who began his political journey during the JP Movement and secured his first election win in 1985, has remained central to Bihar’s shifting coalition landscape. Despite criticism and political realignments over the years, he continues to command influence across caste and regional lines, making him one of the most enduring figures in the state’s politics.

With his latest leadership mandate secured and NDA support firmly in place, Nitish Kumar is now set to begin yet another term, steering Bihar’s government with a renewed focus on welfare, stability and development.