Nitish Kumar has taken oath as Bihar’s chief minister for the 10th time, reinforcing once again his unmatched grip over the state’s politics. In the 73 years since Independence, Bihar has seen 23 chief ministers. The 22 chief ministers have held office for a total of 54 years and Nitish alone has been in the chair for more than 19 years. Since November 2005, he has stepped away from the post only briefly - nine months in 2014–15 after taking responsibility for JD(U)’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. Over two decades, Nitish introduced several reforms in infrastructure, education, livelihoods and women’s empowerment - earning him the image of Sushasan Babu. Yet, despite these interventions, Bihar continues to feature among India’s least developed states. His latest term, therefore, is

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