Historic Tenth Term for Bihar's Longest-Serving Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar scripted political history by taking oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for an unprecedented tenth term at a grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several chief ministers from NDA-ruled states. The swearing-in event at Gandhi Maidan in Patna marked a significant milestone in Indian politics, cementing Kumar's position as the state's longest-serving chief minister.
Cabinet Formation Sparks Dynastic Politics Controversy
The formation of the new cabinet generated immediate controversy with the inclusion of Deepak Prakash, the 36-year-old son of veteran Bihar leader Upendra Kushwaha, as a minister representing the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). What made this appointment particularly noteworthy was that Deepak Prakash had not contested the recent Assembly elections, drawing immediate criticism from opposition parties about dynastic politics within the ruling alliance.
Facing allegations of nepotism, former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha took to social media platform X to defend his son's induction. In a detailed post, Kushwaha stated, "If you have categorised our decision as an act of nepotism, then please try to understand my compulsion. This step was not just necessary but unavoidable to safeguard the party's existence and future."
He further elaborated that he couldn't publicly analyze all the reasons behind this decision but reminded critics about the party's past difficult choices, including merging the party when necessary.
The Rising Kushwaha Political Dynasty
Deepak Prakash's appointment represents the consolidation of the Kushwaha family's growing political influence in Bihar. The 36-year-old computer science engineer now serves as the sole ministerial representative from his father's RLM party in Nitish Kumar's tenth cabinet.
The Kushwaha family currently holds three significant political positions: Upendra Kushwaha in the Rajya Sabha (nominated by NDA after his 2024 Lok Sabha defeat), Sneh Lata Kushwaha (Deepak's grandmother) as MLA from Sasaram constituency after winning by over 25,000 votes in the 2025 elections, and now Deepak Prakash as a state minister.
Upendra Kushwaha strongly defended his son's credentials, emphasizing that Deepak is not someone who "stumbled in life" but earned his engineering degree through dedication and hard work.
RLM's Performance and Cabinet Representation
The Rashtriya Lok Morcha, led by Upendra Kushwaha, remains a junior partner in the NDA-led Bihar government. In the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, the party demonstrated solid performance within its limited scope, contesting six constituencies and securing victories in four.
However, despite this success, the party received only one ministerial position in the expanded tenth cabinet, which went to Deepak Prakash following Upendra's swift efforts to secure the position after the 2024 elections.
Opposition Mounts Criticism Against Dynastic Appointments
The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) quickly seized upon the cabinet appointments to highlight what they termed as hypocrisy within the ruling alliance. The RJD specifically pointed out that several newly sworn-in ministers have family ties to established political families.
In a post on X, the RJD named ten ministers with political family connections, including Samrat Choudhary, Nitin Nabin, and Shreyasi Singh. They detailed family relationships of several ministers: Rama Nishad (daughter-in-law of former Union Minister Captain Jai Narayan Nishad), Vijay Chaudhary (son of former MLA Jagdish Prasad Chaudhary), and others.
Notably, the opposition highlighted that nearly 80% of HAM(S) newly elected MLAs are relatives of senior leaders, with Jitan Ram Manjhi's daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, and son-in-law all winning seats. Additionally, 12.35% of winning BJP MLAs have family links, including Samrat Choudhary and Nitish Mishra, while all 11 JD(U) winners come from political families.
Nitish Kumar's Unique Electoral Strategy
In another interesting aspect of Bihar politics, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself does not participate in Assembly elections. The veteran leader last served as an MLA in 1985 and contested only once afterwards in 1995 from Harnaut, but chose not to keep the seat, continuing instead as a Lok Sabha MP.
Since then, Kumar has consistently entered the state legislature through the Legislative Council rather than through direct Assembly contests. Bihar is among six Indian states that maintain a Legislative Council, which enables ministers to hold office without winning Assembly elections.
Defending his approach, Nitish Kumar stated during the Legislative Council's centenary event in January 2012, "I became an MLC out of choice, not compulsion, because the Upper House is a dignified institution." He had added that he would continue to be elected to the Legislative Council upon completion of his terms.
The historic tenth term for Nitish Kumar represents both continuity and change in Bihar politics, with the new cabinet appointments signaling evolving political dynamics within the ruling NDA alliance while raising important questions about political representation and family influence in Indian democracy.
