There is a larger, fairly unexplored, truth behind the truth of Nitish Kumar taking oath as Bihar chief minister for the ninth time on Sunday in close to a quarter of a century. It is that in all this time, and through all his terms as boss of Bihar, he has never come even close to winning the state’s mandate single-handed. That makes for a feat unlikely to have been matched; it probably also means Nitish has redefined politics as the art of the improbable.

His latest vault — from the INDIA encampment back into the lap of the NDA — renders a blow to the Congress-led effort and will doubtless feed the “record” Lok Sabha numbers the Modi-Shah combine wants to achieve in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. But it is also the continuation of a saga of political dalliance and ditchery that has few, if any, parallels. That Nitish Kumar is able to do it repeatedly and without a political base or legislative numbers to dictate terms should rank among the more fascinating tales of contemporary politics.

Astonishing as it may sound, Nitish has never won Bihar singly, nor had a vote share that comes anywhere close to the BJP or the RJD, the two parties he has serially flirted with and forsaken, all the time remaining master of the political game. Nitish could never have become chief minister of Bihar without an ally more politically significant than him; it remains a singular paradox of heartland politics that neither of his more significant allies has thus far had the better of him.

A decade or so ago, it could have been argued that Nitish enjoys unassailable advantage over the rest of the field in Bihar. When he came to power at the head of a stable coalition in 2005, he gave to Bihar a fair spell of development and governance that the state had almost entirely given up on. At the close of his first term in power in 2010 and immediately after, Bihar was growing at an enviable 13 per cent and the populace had begun to re-invest faith in the state and its ability to deliver. To be fair, Bihar hadn’t seen a chief minister as committed to governance as Nitish in living memory.

But since the arrival of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in 2014, Nitish’s attentions and priorities have been governed by his need to cling on to power, with one ally, then another. The question remains, how does he manage to remain at the helm with such poor levels of trust across the political spectrum?

Bihar 2000-24: Nitish's turns as CM

The answer probably lies not with him, but with those whom he take turns embracing and eschewing. Lalu Prasad’s RJD, the largest party in the Bihar Assembly, has not been able to shake off the baggage of a long, but ill-famed, tenure in power from 1990 to 2005. The BJP, on the other hand, has not merely suffered for the lack of an inspiring local leader or leadership, but also lacks a wide enough social base to pitch itself as a credible contender for power.

But that may be changing. The state BJP is known to have been disinclined to another spell in power under Nitish, arguing that they can make it on their own. They were overruled by the Modi-Shah establishment, probably because they see Nitish as critical to achieving a “record” Lok Sabha tally in 2024. After the Lok Sabha elections, the power balance in Bihar could well be shaken up, depending on how the BJP performs.

Two BJP deputy CMs

Apart from Nitish, Bihar governor Rajendra Arlekar also administered oath to eight ministers, including two deputy chief ministers from the BJP — Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. BJP chief J.P. Nadda was present.

Senior JDU leaders Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Sharvan Kumar, senior BJP leader Prem Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Santosh Kumar Suman, and Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh were also sworn in at a ceremony interspersed with chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.

Barring the BJP ministers, all others who took oath were also ministers in the Mahagathbandhan government.

Visibly unbothered about another turncoat act, a beaming Nitish said after taking oath: “I was with the NDA earlier also, but went somewhere else. However, my party leaders were feeling (uncomfortable). Now this has happened. We will now always stay together.” He said he had been “compelled” to switch because there was “gadbad in gathbandhan” and the INDIA group was making no progress.

“I had separated (from the NDA) and was trying to unite all others, but nobody was doing anything. Everything was a waste. Some people wanted more and were expressing unhappiness. There is no question of going anywhere else now. I was with the BJP earlier and have returned where I was,” Nitish said.

Welcoming the formation of the NDA government in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “The NDA government formed in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the development of the state and the fulfillment of the aspirations of its people. Many many congratulations to chief minister NitishKumar ji, and deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary ji and Vijay Sinja ji. I have full faith that this team will serve the state and the members of my family with full dedication.”

Meanwhile, on the day of despair for the RJD, the crowd in front of the residence of party chief Lalu Prasad and wife Rabri Devi thinned out. Unseated deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said: “The game has just begun. It is yet to get over. I do what I say. I can give you in writing that the JDU will be finished in 2024. Let them do whatever they want; I know that the support of the people is with us. I thank the BJP that it has taken JDU with it, and wish it well.”